The Lion King 4: Zahara's Tale
by LottaLovesWriting26
Summary: The story of Kovu and Kiara's second daughter, Zahara. We follow her in life, love and danger, when she falls in love with a hyena at cubhood...
1. Kovu and Kiara's Pride

Chapter 1- Kiara and Kovu's pride

The bitter fight between the outlanders and pridelanders had finally come to an end.

The sun finally shined upon the pridelands and a young adult golden lioness and her dark furred mate were basking in the afternoon sun while watching over their kingdom on Pride Rock.

They had just been wed to each other, and could not be happier. 

"I can't believe we're finally here. I'm a queen! It seems like just yesterday I didn't even want this. But why wouldn't I want this, when I have you by my side as king, Kovu."

She nuzzled Kovu affectionately. "And maybe we will have a little prince or princess here soon, too, if you want." Kovu suggested gently.

"Oh Kovu, you want cubs? I want cubs too!" Kiara's eyes brightened and her tail waved happily.

"This will be great! But don't you have to ask your Dad first, you know, the royal rules?" Kovu asked.

"Yeah I guess I should. I'll ask him right away!" Kiara got up and left the king to watch over his new kingdom in the sun.

She was so nervous and excited, she ran all the way down to the waterhole, where the old retired king and queen were getting a drink together.

Kiara was puffed and her cheeks were flushed as she finally made it. She had run as fast as she could.

"Kiara, darling is something wrong? You looked like you were in a rush, my dear. What's the matter?" Nala considerately asked her daughter as Kiara caught her breath.

"No, not at all Mom! Actually I wanted to ask Daddy something." She said.

"Yes Kiara?" Simba asked.

"I was wondering, could I have your blessing, for me and Kovu to have cubs?" Kiara worded carefully.

Simba responded with a huge grin, his eyes full of love. "Of course Kiara! How wonderful! I give you my complete blessing for a cub. I'm going to be a grandfather soon!" Simba heartily hugged his grown-up daughter.

"I'll be a grandmother! Oh, good luck to the both of you. You remember the talk Kiara; you know what to do right?"

Kiara blushed a tomato red. "Mom! Of course I do! I'm an adult!"

Nala smiled. "It's alright dear. You know, when me and your father were married, Simba didn't quite know that—" Simba's eyes widened.

"Honey! I think Kiara's getting a little uncomfortable!" Kiara's face went purple red, and Simba started blushing too.

"Yeah, I am! Besides, I don't really want to hear about that kind of stuff Mom. But, remember, me having cubs?" Nala warmly hugged Kiara and her husband and daughter's blushes finally calmed down.


	2. Kiara's Pride and Joy

Chapter 2- Kiara's Pride and Joy

That morning at sunrise, Kiara woke with a smile.

Kovu and Kiara had tried for cubs last night.

Although it was rather early on, Kiara couldn't stop smiling because she had a strong feeling she had new life growing inside of her.

She could also sense, it would be a lot of life. A lively cub perhaps?

Or maybe the reason she felt this, is because she was to have many cubs!

Whatever package her children or child came in, she still couldn't wait. Joy overwhelmed Kiara as she opened her eyes.

_Two weeks later…_

Kiara and Kovu visited Rafiki for a check up to confirm that Kiara was or wasn't pregnant.

Kiara had been extra happy and she had been smiling for two whole weeks.

She could feel new life still there inside of her. She was certain that she was pregnant.

But Kovu just wanted to check, and he also wanted to know how many there could be. The lionesses and lions in the pride were all crossing their fingers and hoping for Kiara. Kovu and Kiara walked side to side to Rafiki's tree.

Rafiki examined Kiara's stomach then tried to get an idea of how much she weighed and if she'd gained weight. Rafiki smiled, and got up from Kiara's stomach.

"I have some very good news. Kiara…you are pregnant!" Rafiki announced.

Kiara jumped with joy and the king and queen shared an embrace before listening to Rafiki again.

"You have _four_ healthy little cubs! I have managed to get some idea of the genders of the babies. Would you like to know?" Kiara and Kovu were already ecstatic at having four cubs, and they were even more excited to know the genders.

"Please tell us!" Kovu told Rafiki.

"Alright. Kiara, you are having two boys, and two girls!" Kiara and Kovu smiled at each other. "We've got two of each." Kiara stated happily. "I couldn't be happier, sweetie."

They nuzzled each other and walked back to Pride Rock to share the news. First Kiara went to her parents.

"Mom, Dad, I'm pregnant! I'm having four cubs! Two boys, and two girls!" Kiara's mother and father ambushed her with hugs.

When Kovu told Vitani, she ruffled his hair playfully and said, "Good job, little bro. Hope the cubs don't have your ugly face!"

She joked and they play fought and laughed like they used to when they were cubs.

When the sun set on Pride Rock, Kovu and Kiara followed each other to the den and fell asleep in each other's arms, smiling.


	3. Abundant New Life

**A/N: Hey you guys, it's Lotta! I see your story alerts. But I don't care, I'm just happy someone's reading this. If you would like, please leave a review, but I'm not pressuring you or anything. **

**Ok, on with the story. By the way, I usually update on Tuesdays, and I'm on Australia time if you don't live where I live. But I might update earlier, considering I've written the whole thing. Ok, on with this story! **

Chapter 3- Abundant New Life

1 month had passed and Kiara was still bouncy and happy, but a little self conscious seeming as she was showing.

She often thought she was fat, no matter how many times Kovu would say she was beautiful.

She also had some friends to help her through the pregnancy.

Janois and Chali were two pregnant lionesses around the same stage as Kiara was and whom Kovu knew as family friends from the outlands.

Janois was a young adult lioness who had white fur and bright blue eyes, with a strange tuft of black on her head. She like Kiara, who was also expecting her first ever cub. Janois' cub was a girl cub; Janois was pregnant by a wandering rogue.

Chali was an older adult lioness with light brown fur and hazel eyes, with brown bangs hanging over her eyes. She was having a boy cub and had already had cubs before. She had an older adolescent boy, Jabvah who had a tan coat with his father's blue eyes. He had patches of a black mane on his chest, down his neck, on the sides of his face and patches on his elbows. Jabvah was full grown and developing muscles.

She also had a female young adolescent, Jaylah, who was also bulky and strong like her father, with a yellow coat, hazel-green eyes and a black hair tuft with bangs like her mother.

Chali also had a mate, Ki. Ki was a creamy pale colored lion with a striking full black mane and blue eyes. He was a strong, bulky lion.

Janois, Chali and Kiara would often sit in the heat of the sun near the waterhole. They would discuss their pregnancies, the pains and the younger lionesses, Janois and Kiara would often ask questions to the middle age lioness Chali, who had the experience of being through two pregnancies.

Meanwhile on the other side of the waterhole, Kovu and his outland lion pals he grew up with, Ki, Lato who had a russet coat and orange eyes with a blond mane, and Gaiyji who was a black lion with a white mane and gold eyes would have sparring matches and physical contests against each other.

Vitani, Ki's son Jabvah and tomboy daughter Jaylah would sometimes participate in these fun fights, as well as Lato's son and Jaylah's boyfriend, the young adolescent Leonie who had Lato's russet coat but with a gold mane tuft on his head and red eyes.

Sometimes the teenagers would often go off by themselves to the jungle behind Pride Rock.

Leonie was almost like a little brother to Jabvah. Kovu, Ki and Lato joked that Vitani and Gaiyji should get together, because most of the other adults had mates in the pride. Little did they know Vitani actually liked Gaiyji and vice-versa, so always seemed to annoy the both more than it should.

After a day of fun sparring for Kovu and sunbathing in the sun for Kiara, they retired to Pride Rock where they fell asleep in each other's arms day after day, week after week. Kiara's pregnancy was flying by.**


	4. Two Births

**A/N: Hey, I haven't you before, but thanks Kratosgodslayer for review, as well as Simbah. To answer your question Simbah, the chapters later on have heaps of writing. Like 4-6 pages worth. But when I wrote this, I planned it out so that the first chapters were smaller and they built up in size over the story which is over 20 chapters long. So do not fear, they will get bigger! Lol. Oh and cause I feel nice, feel free to read **_**both**_** the chapters I uploaded. That's right. Two in one go! Yes, we're really making some progress here! Enough of my strange ramblings, here we go with chapters 4 and 5. **

Chapter 4- Two Births

2 months later, and Kiara was due in just two weeks.

Meanwhile the other pregnant lionesses, Janois and Chali, were both due on the same week and everyone was told to keep a close eye on them as they were approaching birth. Espcially Kiara, since she hung around the two often. Their pregnancies had bonded them together and they had become a small group of best friends.

"This cub, it's really starting to get on my nerves, the little boy keeps kicking me around! It's like he can't wait to get outside! Oy, not at all like Jabvah, you know. He's very strong, but he's always been a quiet kid. He lets his actions speak for themselves. Jabvah, he never gives me any trouble. He takes care of the family. He is a good boy. The way this one kicks me, I bet he'll give me something to worry over when he's a teenager!" Chali, the middle age lioness complained.

Kiara and Janois laughed at Chali's last remark.

"Can you really tell the personalities of the cubs before they're born?" Janois asked Chali.

"Of course! I knew before they were born, that Jabvah would a considerate boy who loves his family, and that Jaylah would be a funny little tomboy. I can tell the next cub will be a troublemaker." Chali said.

"Well, I think my girl is going to be a really girly girl. I can just feel it. She'll be so nice and kind to everyone." Janois smiled.

"It's hard for me with four cubs to interrupt, but I know I'll have a leader, a shy one, a smart one, and a social one." Kiara added. Chali's face suddenly looked pained. "I think he is giving me too much trouble!" She moaned and strained. "Ooh! Owww!" Janois looked pained too.

"I think my cub is coming!" Janois and Chali shouted at the same time, and looked quizzically at each other.

"Oh my god! Two births! Don't worry guys, I'll get the pride. Just take deep breaths, like Rafiki said!" Kiara told them.

Kiara roared the special birth warning roar the pregnant lionesses and everyone else had practiced. "Everyone! There are two births! This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill!" Kiara called and then she roared the warning again. Within a few minutes, the whole pride had congregated.

Ki and Jabvah came to Chali's side to hold two of her paws so she could squeeze them. Jaylah told Chali some jokes to entertain her and calm her down.

Meanwhile Kiara and Leonie held out their paws for Janois, and the elder lioness Nala gave Janois words of wisdom.

Janois' baby came first, after about thirty minutes of pushing, an average lioness birth. She held in her paws, a lanky white lioness cub with predicted light pink eyes and a little stylish side fringe hanging over her left eye.

Chali's birth was much harder, and she had to strain for two hours, she lost a bit of blood. But she pulled through and finally an average build lion cub was in her paws. He was a very dark brown, almost black but not quite.

He was predicted to have his mother's hazel eyes.

The pride and new mothers carried the two new arrivals to the den, where they would need plenty of rest. Janois decided to call her new cub Daisy while Chali's cub was named, Boho. **


	5. Eye Opening Cubs

Chapter 5- Eye Opening Cubs

Two weeks after their births, Boho and Daisy had opened their eyes for the first time and were the best of friends being almost exactly the same age.

Boho was a little mischief maker who often tried to sneakily escape from his mother Chali. Luckily, he hadn't actually escaped yet, but he had gotten pretty close.

Even though they couldn't talk yet, Boho and Daisy often stalked each other, pounced on each other, and chased each other, like the very young cubs they were. They loved their mothers, Janois and Chali, and also loved Uncle Kovu and Aunt Kiara and could recognize them too.

This week also marked Kiara's due date. Kiara was at the waterhole one day with Janois, Daisy, Boho and Chali, when she made the same pained face and started moaning with cub pain.

Boho and Daisy were scared for Aunt Kiara, but Janois and Chali immediately knew what was going on. Kiara was in labour. "Oooh! Owww! Uhhhh! Four cubs was not a good idea!" Kiara strained and strained with the entire pride in front of her to witness the royal births.

They were all eagerly awaiting the first child, the heir to the throne, to be born. It had as much chance to be a girl as it could be a boy. Kovu was holding her paw, watching her intensely, wondering who the throne prince or princess would be. Simba held her other paw, and Vitani and Nala gave encouraging words.

After the first hour of straining, a cub finally fell from Kiara. The pride gasped. Before them, was the new heir, as decided by the Great Kings. Kiara cleaned the baby and handed it to Rafiki.

He announced "The new heir, is a Princess!" He held up the cub girl for the pride to see. She had Kiara's golden fur with Kovu's coat colour as her hair tuft. Rafiki predicted she would have her father's striking green eyes, instead of the traditional royal red.

The pride cheered for their heir. "What do you call your heir?" Rafiki asked. "I call her Princess…Mayja." The pride cheered again, but did not leave her side.

Within the next hour, the other princes and the other princess were born. The second born was named Zahara, another girl cub. She looked quite like a brown furred version of Vitani. According to Rafiki, she had Vitani's violet eyes, and then she also had Vitani's ear rims, and facial markings. She also had bangs over her eyes, like her paternal aunt. She had Kovu's fur colour.

Then the oldest boy cub Tayo was born. He tried to talk even from birth, but he couldn't so he just mewed away all the time. Tayo had a red coat-a mixture of his parent's colors and Rafiki predicted red eyes from his mother.

The last born was Rin. Rin was a tan boy cub which looked a little like a tan Simba. He had Simba's nose, ear rims and face shape from when he was a cub. Rafiki predicted orange eyes with specks of red for the youngest boy cub.


	6. The Royal Presentation

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing, Custom stories and co, and Simbah again. Now on to chapter 6, because I don't really have anything to answer or say. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6- The Royal Presentation.

One week later, the helpless cubs opened their eyes.

All of the predictions were correct. Mayja, the future queen, had the striking green eyes of Kovu. Her younger sister, Zahara, had stunning violet eyes. The eldest of the younger brothers, Tayo, had red eyes to match his red coat. The youngest of Kovu and Kiara's clan, little Rin, had orange eyes with red specks in them.

The day of the royal presentation was here. The cubs would not be as helpless as they were a week ago and even looked a little stronger and taller.

"Enjoy it now, they grow up so fast." Nala had told Kiara wisely while helping her with the cubs one morning.

On the mornings of the new heirs being announced, the retired king and new king would always take a stroll before the ceremony around the borders to learn all about the royal rules regarding borders, invasion, oncoming attack, and wars. All the men's business.

Meanwhile, the eldest lionesses would help the young mother to make her cubs presentable before the ceremony. Baths were given, flowers were woven in strands of hair, and little hand-me-down charms were also placed into the newborns' fur. The heir, whether a prince or princess, would get a special red gem to tie to their heart. It meant good luck, and a good leader. It was a day in the name of tradition.

At the den, the elder lionesses and Kiara were busy gussying up the one week old cubs. The golden cub, Mayja was especially fussed over.

"How do I tie the gem to her heart?" asked Kiara, not noticing a crack in the jewel, which signified bad luck in the heir's older years. The other lionesses also didn't notice.

"Kiara, you must make it unnoticeable. The way I did it when you were a cub, is I dig the necklace strand into the 2nd layer of fur. But be gentle. Then you the gem over the cub's front, and keep going until it is well wrapped around her little body." Kiara had been listening to her mother intently, and had all the steps up to where Nala had stopped. Nala's friends nodded in approval.

"Great, Kiara. Now, in the tradition of The Great Kings, you lick the gem until it sticks to Mayja's fur. This signifies your everlasting love, instilled in the heir's heart. Kiara, this is what Uru taught Sarabi, and what my mother taught me." Nala told Kiara. Kiara followed her instructions and the gem slowly but surely stuck to Mayja's chest.

The younger three cubs, the brown Zahara, the red Tayo and tan Rin all ran to their mother with newfound energy and pounced on her all at the same time. Kiara shrieked with laughter as they tickled with their eager tails and licked her cheeks.  
>"I've been ambushed!" Kiara got out between giggles.<p>

The elders and Nala all looked on with wistful smiles and outbursts of 'awwww' as they cooed at the cubs. Mayja rolled her eyes and groaned.

Meanwhile, Kovu and Simba were in the middle of their father-son stroll. "Sometimes, the heir may have to be replaced, in the case of my father, because I had no brothers or sisters, the royal rules stated that the replacement heirs of the king or queen, no matter what descendent, had to be of age, or if not, a brother or sister. This meant Scar was the only other living descendent that was of age, meaning I would not receive the throne until I was a young adult even if I stayed in the Pride Lands. But the brother and sister rule overrules being of age, so in any case, if Mayja were to die before she took the throne, that would mean, Zahara, would be the next heir in line." Simba explained to Kovu

. Kovu bore a worried look at the thought of one of his children dying. "Don't fret, my son. I'm not saying Mayja is going to die. I'm just saying in case. I never thought my father would die." Simba's eyes filled with pain from an old wound.

"Dad, what about the cheetahs, hyenas and those tigers?" Kovu asked to try and get his father-in-law off the touchy subject of his father's death.

"Nothing of them! They are the lion's natural enemies! They compete with our food supply, and are sneaky, deceptive, and evil! Never mix with any of them!" Simba told Kovu sternly.

"I will be on my guard." Kovu promised.

"Be diligent, my son. They live right here, in the Pride Lands. Be very careful in the future. I don't want the next generation, my own grandchildren, to even lay eyes on them!" Simba said. Kovu nodded and the two turned around to head back to Pride Rock for the ceremony.

When Simba and Kovu got back to Pride Rock, the sun was at the highest it would be in the sky. It was noon, and time for the presentation to begin.

Kiara held the youngest, Rin and the oldest child, Mayja, in her arms. Kovu held the other children, Zahara and Tayo.

Rafiki approached Mayja on Kiara's left arm and blew some dust in the air to make her sneeze, which earned an adoring smile from Kovu and Kiara. Then he broke a mango in half and spread the juice on Mayja's forehead.

Rafiki took Mayja and held her up the highest to explain that she was the one with the power, the future queen. Her loyal subjects, the animals of the Pride Lands, cheered wildly for Mayja and bowed to their future queen. Kovu and Kiara then held up the other royal children, which didn't get as much applause but were still cheered on wildly.

After the ceremony, Kiara went up to Chali, one of her best friends she shared her pregnancy with.

She'd been thinking about the future. "Hey Chali, as you know, my eldest Mayja, is the future queen. But she needs a future king too, as tradition states. Could Boho and Mayja be betrothed?" Kiara asked Chali.

Chali smiled and hugged her friend. "I would love to, oh Thankyou. Thankyou Kiara, thank the Kings! My little Boho will be a king someday! I simply can't believe it!" Chali exclaimed with joy and surprise. Kiara hugged her friend again, and they discussed Boho and Mayja's future together, as they basked in the afternoon sun on the top of Pride Rock. **


	7. Zahara's Sneaky Mission

**A/N: As always, thanks to any reviews of the last chapter or just anyone who's reading in general. Now, enjoy your two chapters. **

Chapter 7- Zahara's Sneaky Mission

In two months, the clan of royal children, Mayja, Zahara, Tayo and Rin could all speak from about 2 weeks to one month.

So did the other cubs in the pride, Daisy and Boho. Friendships were building between the cubhood pals, but they still had to be closely monitored. Four months was the age cubs were allowed to play outside.

Usually Nala and her friends the elder lionesses, and the oldest lionesses of the whole pride, Great-Grandmother Sarabi and Great-Grandmother Sarafina were often called upon to keep a close eye on the cubs playing in the den, while Kiara and Kovu often traveled to the mountains to hike together and meet new prides, like a kind of honeymoon while the cubs were still too young to play outside.

But this time, a week after Mayja's second birthday, Kovu and Kiara had summoned Mayja outside for the first time so that she could learn all about the duties of a queen.

Tayo, Rin and Boho were too busy being totally unawares and just wrestling like cubs.

But Zahara could pick up on when her parents were hiding something from her. She was one month smarter than the average cub, according to Rafiki.

She didn't quite know it, but she was jealous of her sister. She got so much attention from her parents, because she was the queen. What was so good that she was going to learn that had to be hidden from the rest of the family?

Sarabi and Sarafina were babysitting the cubs, which was good news, because they often fell asleep and didn't wake unless one of the cubs needed them, or someone was missing. Daisy was sitting by herself. Mayja felt kind of sorry for her. Daisy would be really bored after about what she was going to do. She walked up to Daisy and greeted her.

"Hey Daisy." She smiled.

"Hi Zahara." Daisy said back in her high girly voice, with an added giggle.

"I'm going to sneak out and watch Mayja's training. Can you tell the others not to tell and cover for me if Sarabi and Sarafina wake up?" said Zahara.

The white girly cub with pink eyes thought hard for a moment. "Oh…alright. What are girlfriends for anyway? But I'll be soooo bored! The guys only want to play wrestling! I guess I can handle it, for now." Daisy replied.

"Ok. I'm making my escape now. Remember what I said." Zahara told her friend. "Yay! Good luck!" Daisy giggled and put a finger to her lips. Zahara did the same.

Zahara snuck out through the door of the den as quietly as she could.

She hid in between the den door and the cave door, and then looked out at the edge of Pride Rock, where she could hear her parents speaking to Mayja about the dangers of cheetahs, tigers, and hyenas.

"Mayja," Kiara began, "You need to understand that of all our subjects here in the Pride Lands, we have a few animals which compete with our food and land. These animals are similar to us, the cheetahs, the hyenas, and the tigers. Even though they are similar to us, they are very dangerous, sneaky and volatile. They are never to be trusted, talked to, or socialized with."

Zahara gasped quietly as she heard what her own mother said. They were teaching Mayja to be racist! They were brainwashing her, and Mayja was just smiling and nodding. Surely Dad would be against this. After all he was an outsider once, but Kovu just smiled and gave a nod too!

"Your Grandpa Simba was almost killed at the hands of hyenas and of course, your evil Great-Great Uncle Scar. Cheetahs and tigers were also part of the planning to kill Grandpa!" Kovu told Mayja.

Zahara gasped even more and her eyes widened this time. Dad had just told Mayja a twisted truth and a complete lie! Hyenas were tricked by Scar into helping him, and usually did no harm. Cheetahs and tigers were never even involved in Scar's reign. That was a lie!

Simba had told her the story before. He had never mentioned any evil cheetahs or tigers.

"I promise you, Mom and Dad, I will never ever mix with cheetahs, tigers, or hyenas!" Mayja promised and then she spat off of Pride Rock. "That is for those filthy second rate creatures!" Kiara and Kovu wore looks of pride as they saw their daughter gained their desired attitude towards these animals.

Zahara was completely in shock. How could her parents, and her sister, talk about their subjects like this? Zahara stalked in the tall grass like a breeze to ensure nothing could hear her.

She followed her parents and Mayja as they greeted the zebras, hippos, and many different animals across the savannah as they made their way over to the Out Lands, the former home of half of the pride.

Daisy's Mom Janois had once lived here, along with Boho, Jaylah and Jabvah's Mom Chali. Dad's friends, Lato, Leonie's father, Chali's mate Ki, Gaiyji and Aunt Vitani had also lived there a while ago. Kiara started talking again.

"This, Mayja, is the Out Lands. You might have heard something about it from Daisy and Boho's Moms. Aunt Vitani might have mentioned something too. Even your father lived here once. It's a place where lions who liked Scar's reign were exiled to, by Grandpa. This included your grandmother on your father's side, Zira, who we've already talked about on your birthday. When me and your father fell in love, it was forbidden for us to be together. But we convinced Simba that we were one and we were all the same. Now the lions in the Pride Lands are together again. As queen, you will need to keep this balance going in future." Kiara taught her daughter. Mayja nodded. "I will Mommy."

Zahara suddenly heard a rustle, from where was hiding, behind a tall rock in the Out Lands. A heavily pregnant hyena came out from the bushes.

Luckily, Zahara was far away enough from her parents and sister that she could talk softly without them hearing her. "Oh my goodness, a lion cub! There's a lion family too! I didn't know they still lived here! I've got to get out of here; please don't hurt me, kind cub!" The female hyena said in worried whisper.

"It's ok. I won't rat you out. I'm Zahara. You better get out of here. My parents and sister don't take kindly to hyenas. Why are you here anyways?" Zahara said gently.

"Thankyou Zahara. I was just searching for food for my pack, and my little cubups inside of me. I didn't know this place was out of bounds too! My name is Kamal, and I forever grateful to you. If you need something ever, please come to the Elephant Graveyard. My pack will help you. I must disappear now, before the lions see me! Goodbye, Zahara!" Kamal gave her a Thankyou smile.

Unfortunately, she ran the wrong way, and then her eyes widened in realization. Just as she stepped over the border of the Pride Lands, Kovu yelled "Intruder! A hyena on our lands!"

Zahara rushed out to help her just as Kovu and Kiara came running to punish her. They were about to pounce, but Zahara stopped just in front of them. "ZAHARA? What are you doing outside?" Kiara shouted in astonishment and anger. Zahara gulped.

"Ok, I'll be honest Mom. I've been following you and Mayja all day. But I think it isn't fair! I know I'm not a queen, but I'm a princess, and Tayo and Rin are princes. Shouldn't we learn about our kingdom too?" Kiara and Kovu looked at each other.

Kiara's face hardened but Kovu's softened on his innocent, curious daughter and he put a paw on Kiara's shoulder to calm her. "Kiara, I know it's not royal protocol, but I think we should be easier on Zahara just this once. She's just curious about the kingdom. Maybe we should speak to Tayo and Rin, and if they want to learn too, we should consider letting them come with us on royal duty along with Mayja."

Kovu tried to change his wife's mind. Kiara gave in. "Oh, alright. But if this goes wrong, it's on your head! Now, Zahara, can you please step away from the evil hyena I need to punish?" Zahara stood tall and proud.

"No way Mom! Kamal is alright! She was just searching for food in the outlands, for her pack and her um, pups growing in her stomach! She's a Mommy. She only stepped on the Pride Lands, because she forgot the right way!" Zahara defended the friendly hyena.

"Is this right, _**hyena**_?" Kiara said in a dangerous tone. Kamal trembled. "Yes, your majesty. I was simply looking for food in the Out Lands; I assumed there were no lions there. I forgot my way and accidently stepped on your land. I am humble and sorry, your majesty."

Kamal bowed but, while she was down, Kiara slapped her in the right eye with her claw, making blood spurt from her eye. Zahara gasped, and rushed to Kamal's side to help wipe off the blood.

Zahara growled at her mother. "How could you do this mother? She's the same age as you, and she is having children! She never wanted to hurt anyone!" Zahara exclaimed.

Kiara growled back and slapped her right cheek with her paw. She went to pounce again on the poor hyena when Kovu jumped in front so Kiara pounced on her husband instead.

"Kiara, this has gone way too far. You've not only hurt an innocent hyena, you've also hurt your daughter, who now bears a scar! Look at her Kiara, she has already been affected." Kovu said from under Kiara.

Kiara stopped being aggressive, and looked over to her second daughter, who was crying. Mayja had a paw around her shoulder, attempting to comfort her younger sister. "I'm sorry Zahara. But as for you _**hyena**_—"

"Enough! As king, Kamal, I allow you to go. I'm sorry Kiara, but I won't stand for behavior like this is my pride. I'm taking Zahara home." Kovu picked up Zahara in his mouth, and then he ran home. **


	8. A Big Little Secret

Chapter 8- A Big Little Secret.

2 months later the cubs were all four month olds.

This meant their first day outside in the big, big world. Often the cubs would have to ask Mayja, or sometimes Zahara, about what the outside looked like.

The cubs were allowed to play no further than the waterhole, near all the adults and teenagers.

On the morning of the royal children's fourth birthdays, the cubs and their friends Daisy and Boho were taken down to the waterhole with Kovu and Kiara's circle of friends, Janois, Chali, Ki, Lato, Gaiyji, Vitani, Jaylah, Leonie, and Jabvah, who as of one month was a young adult. He now sported a full and thick black mane.

The cubs ran onto the field and began to play tag. Afterwards, they were so tired they just sat and talked, like they did so often in the den.

But Daisy and Mayja were arguing again. The two both liked Boho but he was likely betrothed to Mayja.

The brainy Zahara had figured this out, because he was the only male cub in the pride that was her age and wasn't her brother. "He likes me because I'm prettier, and I do better braids than you!" Daisy argued.

Mayja rolled her eyes. "Come on girl, you don't have a chance. He'll be my future king!" Mayja shouted back. Boho, the troublemaker, smirked, and said "You know, I have strong feelings for Mayja, but I really like Daisy…" and he just sat back and watched the two argue over him.

Zahara sighed. Were all the girls in the pride this dumb? She was bored with their typical four year old antics, so she went over to talk to her father.

They had grown close, because they both felt like outsiders but in different ways. Kovu was in the middle of a spar with Jaylah, the middle adolescent who was putting up a good fight.

Jabvah, the youngest adult, approached the four year old cub. "Hey Zahara, bored with the cubs? I figured you would be, with all those brains in your head. Come along now, I think your father is busy. I'm gonna show something really cool. But this is our little secret. We're going to the elephant graveyard."

Jabvah said quietly so no one could hear what they were talking about. "Wow, cool! Wait, elephant graveyard? I remember that from somewhere."

Zahara thought hard for a second, and then her face lit up with realization. "That's where Kamal and her pack lives!" Zahara said back quietly but with excitement.

Jabvah stared back in horror. "How do you know about Kamal? Does the whole pride know about this?" Jabvah worried. Zahara looked confused, then suspicious. "Know about what?" Zahara asked back.

"Oh. Well, I know you're a smart kid. Please don't tell anyone about this, but Kamal and me, are mates. We have two little cubs/pups, which we call cubups. They are the first of their kind. They are the first crosses between a hyena and a lion. We decided to call them, Liyenas. I'm taking you to meet my family, because I know you won't tell. Promise?" Jabvah put his faith in Zahara, who he knew already defended a hyena in her short life.

"Promise. I know how hyenas rile up my Mom." Zahara said. "Good, then we should set off."

Jabvah led Zahara to a back way behind a rare line of savannah trees, and then they stalked low in the tall grass behind Kiara, Janois, and Chali.

When they were out of range of the mothers of the pride, Jabvah and Zahara followed the walkway up Pride Rock, until the got to the left side slightly out of view of the Pride Lands, which was Scar's old home.

They followed stairs of bones, down to the lower level of Scar's former home, and the elephant graveyard. Zahara had never seen so many hyenas in one spot before.

It was a whole camping ground of them, complete with makeshift tents and ten families, big and small. She estimated there were about 100 hyenas all in the same spot.

Kamal, the female hyena Zahara had met earlier, ran up to Jabvah and hugged him. "Oh, my Jabvah! You're finally back! Everyone, Jabvah's back, and he's brought a little friend of his!" Everyone cheered for the return of Jabvah.

"Who's the new little one?" asked an elder female hyena, whom Scar knew as Shenzi. "Mom, it's the girl cub who stood up for me when I angered the Queen in the Pride Lands, Simba's daughter, what's her name?" Kamal conversed.

"Kiara. She's my Mom." answered Zahara. "My goodness, are you the future queen?" Shenzi asked. "No. I'm just a princess. My older sister Mayja is the future queen." Zahara replied.

"Zahara, do you want to meet my son and daughter now?" Jabvah said. "Sure!" Zahara followed Jabvah to his tent, at the back of the campsite overlooking the start of the jungle behind Pride Rock.

In tent, the two first Liyenas were running and playing with each other.

They had a strange appearance. They had a lion's body shape, but with the standard color of a hyena, and the hyena hair spikes. The female cubup had a hyena's usual patch of hair on her head; however, the male cubup had no hyena fur spikes on its body, but tufts of hair on its head, hinting that male Liyenas still grew manes.

The girl had black eyes, the standard hyena color, while the boy had his father's blue eyes.

"Kids! We have a visitor. She is a friendly lioness cub, Zahara." Jabvah introduced her. "Hi, miss Zahara." The young cubups chorused cutely. "Hey guys. What are your names?" Zahara said. "Hi, I'm Rhoy!" Said the male Liyena. "And I'm Leilei." Said the female Liyena.

"How old are you guys?" Zahara conversed. "We're three weeks old. But I'm half an hour older than Rhoy." Leilei said back, and Rhoy stuck his tongue out at Leilei.

"I'm the better one. Anyways, how old are you, Zahara?" asked Rhoy. "I'm four months old. Do you guys want to play a game? Do you know tag?"

The cubups shook their head no. "Well, I'll teach you then." Zahara began teaching the cubups about tag. They soon caught on, and Zahara and the young cubups played for a few hours, until it was late afternoon.

By this time Leilei and Rhoy were getting quite tired. Zahara and Jabvah had to get back before sunset, and before Kiara got too suspicious.

Zahara said goodbye to the little cubups and they begged her to come visit again. Jabvah said a quick goodbye to his mate and he and Zahara set out to journey back to the waterhole.

When they got back, the pride was still there to their relief. Chali approached them. "Jabvah, you went off again! Where do you keep going? Do you have a little girlfriend I should know about, Jabby-poo?" Chali nagged.

Zahara sniggered, and said with a smirk, "Yeah Jabby-poo!" in a mocking tone.

"Mom! I don't' have a girlfriend, and I'm an adult now, so you can stop treating me like a cub. Zahara was bored so I decided to travel with her to the hills where I have been traveling and show her the sights. Right Zahara?" Jabvah looked to her for back up.

"Yeah it was really cool. I met some brand new animals, and we made friends with the mountain goats!" Zahara lied on the spot.

"That sounds like fun. Thankyou for taking care of Zahara for us. But remember Jabvah, I am your mother, and to me you always be my cub, my little Jabby-poo." Jabvah smiled warmly.

"Ok Mom." And he gave her a brief hug. As Chali left to tell Kiara of Zahara's whereabouts, Jabvah and Zahara gave each other secret smiles. The tan young adult whispered to the brown girl cub "Remember, it's our little secret." **


	9. The Secret Of Siblings

**A/N: KShara Khan, I'm going to reply to your statement. Ok, first, I'm not a wildlife expert, and this is a story, so it won't be completely accurate. If any readers must have everything completely accurate, then, stop reading this story. In my story, cheetahs do hunt the same prey as lions, in my Africa universe. But now I realize I have a bit of a plothole in here, because tigers in my story are in Africa, so can everyone do me a favour, and just use your imagination, imagine they live in Africa for me? Please? *Gets down and begs*. Because I have, in this story and supporting content to it's, (two of which will be revealed and uploaded next week! ****), universes, written tiger characters, and I've written pages and pages, and I just don't see the point in going through all my heap of pages, changing everything to different animal characters, just so it's accurate. That's just my opinion, but I'm the writer so it will stay that way. Sorry KShara Khan and any other loyal readers who feel the need for it to be accurate. I hope I don't lose too much support over this. Now, you can finally read the chapter, because I've finished my rant! **

Chapter 9- The Secret Of Siblings

2 months later, Zahara and the other royal siblings had just turned 6. Zahara had a surprise planned for her brothers on their birthday.

Jabvah and Zahara travelled a few times every new week to the hyena camp, to see Jabvah's new little family, rapidly growing Liyenas Leilei and Rhoy, his mate Kamal, and her parents, Shenzi and Banzai, who had lived closely with Scar during his rise at Kamal and Jabvah's age.

Although a lion had once betrayed them, that was an old faded wound, and they supported lions again since they had met such a considerate family lion, Jabvah, and a friendly little girl cub, Zahara.

One week earlier Zahara had travelled to the lands and told the Liyenas a story.

It was the story of how her parents brought the Pride Landers and Out Landers together, but with Liyenas, and in the future, for a rainy day treat. Then the conversation moved to family.

"Zahara, have you got any brothers or sisters we could play with? You know you could bring them along?" Zahara thought for a moment. It would be dangerous to bring Mayja to the camp because if she saw the Liyenas she would inform on them, because she hated hyenas and loved her Mom.

But maybe she could bring her little brothers. "I have two younger brothers. I'll bring them as soon as I can for a visit." Zahara promised.

Zahara and Jabvah then journeyed back to the Pride Lands, and Zahara thought up ways she could tell her brothers.

Now a week later, on the royal clan's 6th birthday, all the cubs including Daisy and Boho were allowed to explore every area they wanted, but were warned to stay clear of the hyena campground.

Zahara saw this as her opportunity. She gathered red Tayo and tan Rin and they met Jabvah at Scar's former home. "Jabvah, do you mind if we extend our secret to my little brothers?" Tayo and Rin had curious looks on their faces.

"Well, depends. Can you boys keep a secret?" Jabvah said with an air of mysteriousness, and the boys nodded their heads.

"Ok, you must not tell anyone. I have a secret mate, or a girlfriend, in the hyena campground. We have cubs/pups, we call cubups. They want to meet you." Tayo and Rin's eyes widened at the content of the secret.

"Awesome I so wanna meet them! What do they look like, are they short or tall? Big or small? Do they look like hyenas or lions? Light or dark? Shy or outgoing?" Tayo blabbered on at a mile per minute.

"I don't know. Hyenas are scary." Rin said quietly, like the shy boy he was.

"Tayo, I'm sure seeing them will answer all your questions. Rin, hyenas are actually much friendlier now, then what they were back in Grandpa Simba's stories. They've learned to forgive and forget." Zahara answered her little brothers' questions.

The younger brothers followed Jabvah and Zahara to the hyena campground, and Leilei and Rhoy ran up to greet Zahara.

"Leilei, Rhoy, these are my two brothers that I talked about, Tayo and Rin." Leilei and Rhoy smiled. "Hi Tayo and Rin. I'm Leilei, and my brother is Rhoy." Zahara smiled back and then tagged Rhoy.

"Tag, your it!" They then started a jovial game of tag, not knowing they were being watched.

A ten-month-old hyena pup sat on the level above the stairs of bones, watching over the campsite. He had a black tuft of hair on his head, with big black eyes that took up a quarter of his face. He had two fur hyena spikes on his back already, signifying he was ten and only two months away from puberty. His first fur spike grew at eight months old. He would get the complete set when he was an adolescent.

He also had two family friends with him, a tiger named Sasha, and a cheetah named Henriatta. They were both seven month olds.

"Ah, it's just those Liyenas, but mmmmhm, what do we have here? A brown lioness I see. So exotic, what eye candy."

Though he was only ten months, the pre-teen hyena Xandor was already girl crazy. But he had never seen young lionesses close up before, only as small figures on Pride Rock. Now he was hooked, the dangers of flirting with one just made it even more exciting. Sasha and Henriatta just rolled their eyes at his pre-teen antics.

"Don't you know lions? They've banned us from the Pride Lands, and that Queen could kill us if we stepped on her land. According to the rumours, they're the royal family. They could be as bad as Queen Kiara and King Kovu!" Sasha warned.

"Yeah, don't do it!" Henriatta said her rare four words. "But there's also the chance she'll be as prissy as a pussycat. Now don't get in my way, girls." Xandor strolled down the stair bones confidently.

"I guess we should run after him to see if he's ok." Sasha said with a sigh. Sasha and Henriatta ran after him.

Zahara was in the middle of running for tag, when a hyena a little older than her stopped her in her in tracks. "Hello, pretty young lioness." He said with a flirty smile, raising his eyebrows on hello.

She broke left, but the hyena followed her every footstep, and then broke right, but the hyena just sighed and said "You do like to run, don't you, violet eyes?" He said in a suave voice that just annoyed Zahara more.

She broke left and right again, and trick right and left, but the hyena just followed her every step to the minute. It occurred to her that he was a strong and swift hyena, but she shook the thought from her head.

Annoyed and slightly angered, she pounced on the hyena with all her strength she could muster, and pinned him down.

"Who are you, and why are you ruining my game of tag?" snarled Zahara.

"Ooh, someone's a little feisty. I'm Xandor, and I was ruining your game of tag, to tell you how beautiful you are. Seriously, have you looked in a mirror once in a while?" Xandor said charmingly.

Zahara blushed but quickly gained colour back in her face when she remembered he just ruined her tag game. "I don't even know you! Why do you think I like you?" Zahara glared at him.

"Well, for one, the position you've put me in speaks for itself…" Xandor smirked. Zahara blushed furiously and got off of him. A tiger and a cheetah came rushing up to the two.

"I'm so sorry if this little hyena is annoying you, your majesty." apologized the tiger. Before the tiger could bow, Zahara motioned her to stop.

"I'm Zahara, and Your majesty? I'm not a future queen! I'm the future queen's younger sister." Zahara explained.

"Oh ok. What's the little queen like?" asked the tiger. "She's a great leader, and she has a lot of energy, loves Mom. But like Mom, she can't stand hyenas, tigers or cheetahs! That's why I don't bring her here." Zahara replied.

"You have any other brothers or sisters?" Henriatta said quietly. "Yeah. Rin, Tayo!" Zahara called out.

"Has the game stopped? You're a big hyena! Who are these three new peoples?" asked Tayo quickly as usual.

"Yeah." Rin agreed. "This is Xandor, and you guys are?" Sasha and Henriatta looked at the lion cubs. "I'm Sasha, and this is Henriatta." Sasha introduced. "Hi, I'm Tayo and this is Rin." Tayo introduced to the rest of the group.

"Ok, I'm tired, let's have a rest and get to know each other, hey?" Zahara suggested.

So the group sat down, and got to know each other, while Xandor attempted more flirting with Zahara. Sasha and Rin seemed to get on suspiciously well with each other, as well as Tayo and Henriatta.

After an hour, the hyenas started howling in horror. Zahara and the others stopped talking immediately and Zahara ran to Jabvah to find out what had happened.

She heard a lion roaring in pain and immediately knew it was Jabvah. Zahara rushed to where the sound came from, at the top of the bone stairs. Xandor, Sasha, Henriatta and her brothers ran quickly after her.

Zahara gasped in horror as she watched the scene in front of her. Two white, muscular hyenas had torn off Jabvah's left back foot with their teeth, and a bigger one of the two was munching on the bones.

The other one knocked on Jabvah's chest with his paws, knocking him down easily.

Zahara ran forward and dug her claws into the bigger white hyena's chest. The bigger hyena howled in pain as she dug her claws in as deep as she could into his chest muscles.

She retracted them sharply and painfully and blood spurted from the larger white hyena's chest as he held the painful wound in his paws.

The smaller of the two barked angrily knocked Zahara away from the fight scene with force, sending her flying over the edge of the campsite.

She heard Xandor shout, "Zahara! No!" Zahara closed her eyes, waiting to die when a paw grasped hers tightly.

She looked up to see Xandor pulling her up with all his strength. When Zahara was on land, Xandor saw that his stepbrother's back was to him.

He took this opportunity and jumped, flying onto his adolescent stepbrother's back. He slashed each of his stepbrother's cheeks, and eyes, then when his stepbrother fell forward to hold his blood spurting eyes, he jumped off his back and sprung down onto his stepbrother's back with all his strength, breaking some vertebrae.

His stepbrother was forced to lie helplessly from this attack, and couldn't get up.

Then he worked on the elder stepbrother, who had a noticeable wound on his chest but could still fight. He dodged his adult brother's slow slashes, left and right.

He ran rapidly around his elder stepbrother to make him dizzy, and then he took one of the dizzy stepbrother's front legs and snapped it, breaking the bone.

Then he took the right front leg and broke it too, making his stepbrother yelp in the pain of two broken legs. His elder stepbrother was immobilized. Xandor smirked and stood proud at what he did to the two evil brothers.

"Guess you guys aren't as strong as you thought you were. Or smart! Why you terrorizing our pack?" Xandor spat.

"My darling stepbrother," the elder white hyena drizzled with sarcasm "You forget my promise to you. I would avenge my mother's death, and kill your pride! The lion over there had to go first. He's quite wrong in the head eh, says he has a hyena mate!"

The white hyenas laughed, then remembered their pain and groaned. "It's true! And it's completely ok. You are two are just two wrong in the head to understand it!" Xandor smirked snarkily at them.

"No you see, you can't go against it! This is breaking the laws of nature. Especially you and that little lioness girlfriend of yours. When I kill this pack, befriend the Queen, and become rightfully King of the Pride Lands, I will see to it that all species stay in their own species! None of this Tigon, and Liyena yuck! And once I become King, I will see to it that every one of these disgusting hybrids will publically executed one by one! And those little Liyena cubups you love so much, will be the first to go! And I will be sure that the death they suffer will be the most painful! Long live, king Vladek and prince Igor!" Vladek and Igor cackled evilly.

"We will come back and we will kill your pride, once our injuries are healed! Count yourselves lucky, for a month…" Igor shouted. Vladek grabbed Igor and dragged him out of the elephant graveyard.

Zahara smiled sweetly at Xandor. He had saved her life, and beat up two white hyenas much older than him. A real hero.

She went up to him. "You saved my life. I am forever grateful to you, dark eyes. Lean in, I have something for you." She said mirroring Xandor's flirty tone he had used with her earlier.

Xandor was surprised by getting a lick on his cheek from Zahara, knowing he had just gotten kissed on the cheek by a lioness.

He went tomato red in response, and his mouth went dry. "U-u-uh, no, p-p-problem." He forced out of his mouth. Zahara smirked and then said "Come on boys, let's help Jabvah up." Zahara and her brothers helped Jabvah to walk, and they waved goodbye to the hyenas. They had had enough excitement for one day. **


	10. Two Loves and Two Hates

**A/N: Thanks Simbah, thanks anyone who reads this. Ok, now before I commence with this chapter and the next, I'd like to announce two finished stories I have also uploaded now. They are backstories of three of my OCs in my universe, to thicken up the story and explain some behind the scenes stuff. You don't have to read it, but it clears up stuff about the OC's backgrounds. If you go to my account, or maybe even story search, you'll find two new fics. **

**I wrote the first one I will mention, which is titled '**_**Little Hero**_**' a while ago when I finished this story, somewhere like a month ago. '**_**Little Hero**_**' features Zahara's new pre-teen hyena friend, Xandor who plays a pretty big role in this current story. It maps out his childhood, the mystery and pain surrounding it, his relationship with his 'stepbrothers' Vladek and Igor, and also how Henriatta, and Sasha came to be. If you're interested, give it a read!**

**The next one is quite recent. When I was re-reading this story I was inspired to create another story about the lion Jabvah, and hyena Kamal, and how they lived in a world where relationships and even friendships between hyenas and lions were unheard of. This is also a story sort of parallel to that of Kiara and Kovu's, it's a story of forbidden love. It also gives a little look-see into the Outlanders lives before they were reconciled with the Pridelanders. It's called '**_**Jabvah and Kamal'**_**. If you're interested, give it a read! Ok, bye. Enjoy the chapters and new stories if you choose.**

Chapter 10- Two Loves, and Two Hates

A month had flown by and Zahara was beginning the transition period of older cubhood. In just 5 months, she would be an adolescent.

She was now 7 months old and had clearly grown from being a small newborn. She was about halfway to having a lioness body.

She was also experiencing grown up feelings. Zahara would never admit it, but since Xandor had saved her from falling, slowly but surely she fell in love with him over the course of the month.

She had something else to look forward to when she visited the hyenas. Luckily, the evil white hyenas Vladek and Igor hadn't come back since they chewed off Jabvah's foot, but rumours went around the pack that they would be striking again in a month.

And with more numbers next time. Did this mean there were more white hyenas that the pack had to worry about?

Because Jabvah's foot had been chewed and eaten, Rafiki fashioned Jabvah a new artificial foot made out of rock and clay. But Jabvah was never quite the same confident young adult he once was.

The traumatic experience of having his foot torn off his leg, and hearing the bones being chewed by the older white hyena who was one of Xandor's stepbrothers, had made him older emotionally, more frail, and fragile.

When he was alone he would often thrash, cry and have a breakdown like he was a little cub again. Everyone could see new lines of worry and trauma etched on his face. He was no longer a carefree lion.

Jabvah had just told Zahara they were going to go back to the hyena campsite tomorrow.

Zahara wondered when they'd go back, because they hadn't been for a week. Zahara wanted to dance and sing, so she galloped wildly into the forest doing just that, singing 'tra la la I love somebody' like a crazed lioness and twirled around and around until she heard giggling coming from a familiar voice.

It was her Aunt, Vitani! She hid behind some tall jungle scrub and looked out to see that it indeed was Aunt Vitani, and a male laughing together while nuzzling each other rather passionately. Her eyes widened. It was Giyji!

"Hey, say we move this party to a nice dark cave?" Vitani said seductively. Zahara had certainly never heard them speaking to each other like this. "Are we really gonna party, or are we gonna mate?"

Giyji and Vitani leaned closer, if that was possible. "I think you'll find it's the second one." Vitani replied with a raspy voice. Zahara gasped, but much too loudly this time.

"Stop Giyji. Who was that?" Vitani called out. "Um, nobody?" Zahara said foolishly, and then slapped her paw to her forehead. She had just made herself noticed! What a dumb cub move!

"Zahara! How much did you see?" Vitani peeked over the jungle scrub where she was hiding.

"Well, I heard you guys talking, and I've got to say, it was really easy to tell that you guys were just about to mate. Maybe you should speak in codes or something, in case someone finds you." Vitani and Giyji blushed a violent red.

"Um…" Giyji murmured. "How do you know about mating?" Vitani asked.

"Oh, well my parents figured that since I'm seven but mentally I'm eight, they could tell me. They were planning to tell my brothers and sisters next month." Said Zahara.

"Zahara you should know we weren't just mating for fun. We were going to tell everyone about our relationship, if I got pregnant." Vitani told her niece.

"You were going to wait that long? Wouldn't it have been easier just to be open with your relationship from the beginning?" Zahara sounded much older than she was.

"Well, you see we should have done that Zahara. But you see, your father and his friends had always been teasing us, pushing us to get together, and now that we finally have, we're afraid that they'll laugh in our faces." Giyji explained.

"I bet they wouldn't! They're your friends, and Vitani; Kovu is your own brother! They're not cubs anymore, I bet they'll be really happy!" Zahara said.

"I guess you're right Zahara. We should tell them, before we start having kids. You know for a cub your age, you are smart and wise." Vitani ruffled her niece's head. Zahara smiled back.

"Thanks Aunt Vitani." Vitani returned her smile. "No, Thankyou, Zahara."

So Vitani that night told everyone the news that she and Giyji had a secret relationship for six months, and were planning to have cubs.

Everyone accepted them and welcomed their relationship and future cubs. Zahara gasped. How did Vitani hide that secret since she was one month old? She would probably die from stress if her mother didn't start approving of hyenas soon, because she was now in love with one nearing adolescence.

What a secret! Who could she trust that with? Probably not Jabvah, not even her brothers. No she had to keep it to herself.

Otherwise, it would be on her love, Xandor's head. Her Mom would have no problem executing him. So she would just have to creep around her whole life. She was just thankful she wasn't a Queen.

The next day, Zahara and her brothers helped Jabvah to journey along with them to the hyena campsite. Zahara told her brothers, and her new friends, Sasha and Henriatta, to run ahead so she could talk to Xandor alone.

This earned a suspicious look and an eyebrow raise from the tiger and cheetah, but luckily her brothers disregarded it. "So, what did you want to talk to me about, violet eyes?" Xandor said suavely.

"Um, I have a secret. I can't tell anyone else but you're the person who I need to tell the most. I'm in _upendi_ with you." Zahara told him batting her eyelashes. "Upendi? Wait, what does that mean?" asked Xandor.

"You'll figure it out soon enough." Zahara winked and then strutted slowly away for a couple of steps, before running away, inviting Xandor to chase her. The Liyena cubups, lion cubs, the older tiger and cheetah cubs and the pre-teen pup Xandor started to play tag together.

Jabvah and Kamal were watching their cubs from a short distance away, when they saw the little flirty interaction between the pre-teen pup and the older cub. Jabvah sighed.

"They're very young to already be in love, aren't they? Cubs and pups grow up fast. Now I have to worry about Zahara falling in love. Her mother and father certainly won't like it a bit." Jabvah could spot their blushing even from a mile away.

"Come now, she can keep a secret, she's kept us a secret for so long. And doesn't Xandor remind you of a certain, adolescent lion?" Kamal hinted.

"Me? No." Jabvah said. "Yeah, we were young too. I was barely her age when I fell for you too. I love you Jabvah." Kamal licked her mate's cheek. "I love you too Kamal." Jabvah purred and nuzzled her.

When it was finally late afternoon, and time to go home, Sasha merely hugged Rin and Tayo did the same to Henriatta.

But Zahara gave a secret lick on the cheek, and whispered, "Upendi." to Xandor, making the 11 month old wonder more what it meant.

Meanwhile, in a deep dark cave of the Out Lands…

The same cave where Zira sang about her vengeance to Scar's death with his heir Kovu, was now the new home to the pack of white hyenas.

Their pure coat colour was a gross misrepresentation of the evil they brang far and wide.

The white hyenas would kill off any Tigons, an established breed right now, and any creatures in relationships with another species.

They would cut off the animal's heads and place them on wooden sticks, to warn any other lions about the consequences of their being.

There were about 100 white hyenas in the pack, and the leader, their Future King Vladek, never let them forget the story of how a Tigon betrayed him…

_When Vladek was a ten month old boy, and his younger brother barely two weeks old, their father finally returned from what Vladek's mother, a white hyena, said was searching for food. _

_Vladek's father was a tigon, and he had never known him his entire life. _

_Vladek had been suspicious of his father, even as a young boy, because he knew that females usually would hunt._

_The tigon that had fathered him, was much older than Lina, his mother._

_He was middle aged, while Lina was only an adolescent, and the births of Vladek and Igor had put a strain on her body._

_It all was very odd._

_Then one day, his father slashed his brother's face up with wounds, so he couldn't see through his wounds._

_Tears came to Vladek's face as he watched his brother howl and yowl at the extreme amount of pain caused. _

_He couldn't even speak yet, so he couldn't cry for help, and Vladek's mouth felt glued shut. _

_He felt helpless._

_His father's powerful jaws clamped onto his shoulder muscles, tearing through skin and muscle. _

_When he put his paws to his shoulder, he could feel a soggy bone._

_He felt nauseous. _

_His father tied him up to a tree, and got some branches to force his eyes be open._

_He snickered loudly and evilly and then chased down some innocent normal colour female hyena, caught her, broke her front paws, and slashed her eyes, so she couldn't see._

_The female hyena wept in fear, and Vladek bashed against the sticks but couldn't get free. _

_He tied her down and laughed as he lowered himself on top of her. _

_The hyena cried and cried as she realized what he was going to do, and Vladek tried to force himself out of the sticks frantically but he couldn't. _

_He was awfully traumatised as he saw a young hyena's innocence taken away from her. _

_Poor Vladek was sick and threw up his breakfast. _

_His father just laughed and then found his mother, beat her, and did the same thing to her. _

_He tore Vladek free from the sticks and then never returned. _

_Lina was not impregnated, but the hyena female was._

_Lina helped the poor hyena take care of her child, who caused too much trouble and eventually ran away with two family friends. _

_That child was his real half-brother, whom he called 'step-brother'. That child was Xandor. **_


	11. A New Cub, An Old Cub

**A/N: This is one of my favourite chapters. You'll know why soon!**

Chapter 11- A New cub, An Old cub.

Soon after Zahara had last visited the hyena campsite, Vitani and Giyji had tried for cubs that night.

They were happy they didn't have to hide their love away anymore. No more hiding in the jungle for Vitani and her mate.

They could nuzzle in public and did it often, but not to the extent when Zahara saw them.

Then two weeks later, it was confirmed Vitani would be a mother, and her daughter Petri was born three months later, when Zahara was ten.

Petri had a light brown coat, and shared Vitani and Zahara's facial features and body type however there was a noticeable difference from Vitani and Zahara, and Petri.

Petri had her father's rare but beautiful golden eyes.

Petri wasn't allowed outside on her own but often grew bored and lonely having to be inside constantly with no cubs her age to play with, like Zahara had Daisy and Boho and her siblings, who were rapidly aging as well as her.

She loved her girly friend Daisy, but didn't know if she could trust her with the Xandor secret.

She also hadn't seen Xandor since he was eleven because she had been busy helping Vitani with Petri because her mother was busy teaching Mayja how to hunt and couldn't help but wonder how he had matured into a teenage hyena, and if it had treated his body well.

Zahara was now just about to turn eleven in half a week and become mentally an adolescent and her body would catch up with her mind when she turned a whole year old.

She couldn't wait to become a young lioness, but was also sad she had to leave cubhood, for the uncertainties of adolescence.

Meanwhile, little Petri's journey was just beginning. Petri, Zahara's little cousin, was only just three weeks old. Zahara felt sorry for Petri all by herself, so she decided one day, maybe she'd take her on an adventure.

An adventure to the hyena campsite, that was. Luckily, there was no word from Jabvah that the evil white hyenas had returned, but he could make no promises. They would probably be back some day in the future.

Jabvah arranged to meet Zahara, Petri and the little brothers at Scar's old home after she'd gotten Petri out of the den.

Zahara didn't just sneak her little cousin out of Pride Rock. She actually convinced her mother and Petri's mother, to let her take Petri on a trip that day. They said yes, as long as Zahara took good care of Petri and didn't let her run off. But Petri was quite like Zahara, in that she was also smarter than an average cub by about one month.

It was a trait that brought the two together, and Zahara often taught Petri how to handle adults who thought she just another dumb little cub.

That morning, Vitani told Zahara about how to care for Petri before she set off.

Vitani gave a quick nuzzle to her daughter and told her to be careful. Zahara set off then with her brothers to meet Jabvah at the hyena campsite.

Jabvah had aged a bit, but was still quite young. He couldn't keep up much with his cubups though, who were about 9 months and getting very big.

They were now pre-teen Liyena cubups. Jabvah had recently travelled just with Tayo and Rin, and as they grew, they became involved with their present girlfriends Sasha and Henriatta about one month ago, surprising everyone by getting together before Xandor and Zahara, who in the hyena population's opinion flirted the most obviously with each other.

They moved on to the hyena campsite. Zahara had explained to Petri what she was about to see before she went along, and made her promise to keep it secret.

As her brothers went to see their girlfriends, she was greeted by Kamal, who was also visibly aging, but could still be classed as a young adult.

"Hello, Zahara. My how you've grown from a 7 month old cub! You're on your way to becoming a lioness! You'll be 11 soon!" Zahara smiled at her old friend.

"Thankyou Kamal, it feels like ages. I can't believe the cubups are 9 already! They're pre-teens. It feels like just yesterday they learnt tag from me and I told them stories. Now they have more responsibility."

Zahara, Kamal and Jabvah looked over admirably at the older Liyenas introducing themselves to the brainy three week old Petri.

Shenzi walked slowly over to the group.

She was old and fragile now, one of the oldest hyenas in the pack.

"Xandor wants to see you in Scar's old home, for a little, Zahara." Zahara felt her heart pounding in her chest. What could he want from her?

"Um, ok. Bye Jabvah and Kamal." They waved goodbye and watched her go. Zahara walked up the bone steps. She and Xandor. Alone. What was he going to do? Had he figured out what upendi meant?

Suddenly, an animal pounced on her. She screamed in fear, when he had her pinned to the ground, and then a frown etched on her features.

It was just Xandor, laughing in her face. She took a good look at him.

He was definitely a teenager, not a pup. He now had muscular legs already, he was much taller, had six spikes on his back, and the tuft of hair on his head had only grown denser and longer, almost echoing a mane.

She drew in a breath. She was suddenly very physically attracted to him.

Butterflies grew in her stomach just seeing him. "Well, well, well, Miss violet eyes, you certainly have grown even prettier if I must say so myself." He said in the old suave voice, but deeper and filled with even more confidence gained by age.

"Uh, thanks. Teenage years have definitely treated you well I see. Where did all these muscles come from?" Filled with more confidence herself, Zahara felt his biceps while saying this. You could cut the romantic tension with a knife.

"So, I came here to say, I searched far and wide for the meaning of upendi. A wise old baboon that called himself Rafiki, answered my question. All I want to say is: I love you too, Zahara." Zahara's face softened.

She felt dew drops forming in her eyes, and the sentence he just said bowled her over. She didn't know how to react.

He leaned forward and touched her mouth with his. After a few seconds, he let go, and Zahara leaned forward and nuzzled him, and he licked her cheek, showing the universal languages of love across their species.

After a while they pulled away from their nuzzling and kissing. Zahara then looked worried. "Love, what's the matter?" He said in his new deep voice Zahara loved.

"It's nothing to do with you. But know that we're a thing, you should know there are a lot you're risking being with me. My mother, is the Queen of the Pride Lands. I'm already not her favorite, because I helped out my old friend Kamal months and months ago, when I was a very young cub. We grew apart since then. My mother and I have been resentful to each other since I was two. My whole life I've been living in my sister's shadow, her name's Mayja. She's exactly like Mom and looks like her and everything. She's Mom's little favorite. Meanwhile me and my Dad have grown much closer, but he loves Mom so he'd probably tell her if he found out we'd been sneaking around behind their backs. She hates hyenas, she wishes she could execute every one of them! I've heard her talk like that. Because I'm not her favorite or the Future Queen and I look like my dad and my paternal Aunt, she already resents me, but if she ever finds out we're together, she'll hate me! Forever! Oh Xandor, if only she could see hyenas have changed! If only she could look past the hate her father has instilled in her! Oh it's so much of a mess, I might die of the stress!" Zahara's emotions exploded out.

She wept and wept and wept.

He leaned forward and kissed her again to hush her cries. "Zahara, I don't care about any of that. I love you for you. Have you ever looked in a mirror once in a while, and seen a beautiful, smart, and golden-hearted lioness who should never be taken for granted?" He asked, using one of his old lines in a different way.

"No. I don't know. I wasn't exactly taught how to be self-confident." Zahara sighed, deflating as she did.

"Don't be so sad. Sure, you have your problems. Everyone does. I have two step brothers who have only reminded me of the pain my birth caused to my mother, and they blame me for causing their mother's death. Me and my stepbrothers…share a father." Xandor started to spill out his problems too.

"Oh my god. Why do they think this?"

"Well, I was an unwanted baby from the start. It was my father who caused the trouble, he…he…let me put it this way, took away the innocence in an adolescent female hyena's life, to traumatise Vladek, my elder stepbrother. I am the child of… abuse. I've never been wanted, or needed. For my mother, it seemed like an unfortunate duty to basically care for me. Vladek and Igor's mother kindly took over all the care I needed. One day we went down to the waterhole. I was just playing around, chasing my foster mother Lina. I decided to push her in the water, and at this point I didn't know that she couldn't swim. She drowned. I pushed her in. I murdered Lina. I murdered her!" This time he started crying.

Zahara nuzzled away his tears.

"To think I had problems. I'm so sorry Xandor. You didn't murder Lina. How could you know she would drown? She never told you. You had no intention of murder! It's manslaughter!" Zahara tried to calm him.

They were both emotionally worn out, so they just held each other until it was finally time for Zahara to go home. **


	12. New Arrivals At The Pridelands

Chapter 12- New arrivals at the Pride Lands.

In the deep dark cave, The Outlands,

The white hyena brothers woke up one day with a smile.

This would be the day they would start their vengeance.

As the sun rose over the Pride Lands, Vladek and Igor bore evil smirks.

Vladek and Igor would take their first step to taking over the Pride Lands. They were to march straight up to Miss Queen Kiara and befriend her. The march would begin in an hour.

They would make it there by breakfast, and start charming the King and Queen. In two hours, they would be at Pride Rock again.

Meanwhile, Zahara woke with a smile on her face.

The now adolescent lioness was just awaking in her boyfriend and future mate Xandor's arms, but as she saw the sun rising she instantly panicked.

She had overslept again.

She only had half an hour to get back to the den, which was the same time Kovu and Kiara got up every day.

She quickly nuzzled her middle adolescent boyfriend awake. He had grown even more mouth-wateringly muscular in the space of two months. He had also grown taller.

But Zahara didn't have enough time to admire her sweet boyfriend properly. She nuzzled him roughly until he stirred.

He opened his eyes and yawned. "Someone's so affectionate today they're being a bit rough." He said raising his eyebrows.

Zahara laughed. "It was partly to get you awake. I have to leave you now I'm afraid. These late nights don't do me any good. Oh my Kings, look at the sun! I've got to get back to my place next to Tayo and Rin in 20 minutes! Sorry, catch you later, bye bye love!" She ran back to the den and managed to get back with five minutes to spare.

She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep, next to Tayo who was next to Rin. Zahara was next to Mayja, and Mayja was right next to Kiara, indicating Kiara's clear favourite.

Kovu was in a democratic sleeping position, choosing to sleep with right side stretched out to all his adolescent children.

Kiara and Kovu stirred. "Mayja dear, Mayja honey! It's very important day for the Future Queen of the Pride Lands! Today is your hunting test! You must remember all the things I taught you!" Zahara, Tayo and Rin all rolled their eyes at Kiara's blatant doting over the chosen one.

"Oh Great Kings! Mommy, I'll the greatest queen ever I just know it! Queen Mayja, The Greatest Queen Ever! I'll get everything I want and need, right Mommy?"

Kiara nodded, and the golden adult and golden adolescent with a hint of brown got up and danced together and squealed, unintentionally waking up the rest of the pride, who were annoyed with their squealing antics in the morning.

"Oh my god, I'll be a huntress! Daisy will be so jealous, she'll die!" Mayja said with a hint of animosity in her eye.

Mayja had always held contempt for Daisy, because she harboured feelings towards her fiancé Boho, and sometimes she thought Boho might have a crush on Daisy.

Sometimes Zahara wished she hadn't of discovered Boho was Mayja's future mate, because it caused a rift between Daisy and Mayja that had lasted since they were cubhood rivals at four months old.

"Mom, when do I get to learn about hunting?" asked Zahara carefully.

Kiara looked at her other daughter thoughtfully and then answered: "Sorry Zahara, Mayja first needs to pass her hunting test, and then I'll have to spend about three months teaching her how to be the leader of a hunting party. She just needs this for the good of the pride, so we can have a wonderful Future Queen. So I'm afraid not for while. Come now Mayja, we must prepare for the test!"

Mayja and Kiara happily ran off into the sunrise together. Zahara felt rejected, and it stung like a firm slap to the face. Tears were forming in her eyes.

Kovu approached his dejected daughter. "My darling Zahara, what is the matter? Cheer up; you need to prepare to congratulate your sister on her hunting test! She'll pass for sure!"

Tears started running down her face at these words. "That's just the problem! All I hear is, Mayja, Mayja, and Mayja! I'm never good enough! How could anyone want to be even near me if my own mother can't stand me? My own sister, who is only one hour older than me, is already doing her hunting test and I haven't learnt a thing about hunting! And Mom won't ever let me go with her and Mayja because it's for the good of the pride! It's not fair! Now I know how Scar feels!" Zahara wept in her father's mane.

Kovu frowned at the information that his second daughter was giving him. "It's ok Zahara, I'm going to give a talking to your mother. I think she playing favourites again. But, just because I'm a lion, doesn't mean I'm not a good hunter! I was somewhat of a legend back in the day. I could hunt as well as all the lionesses in the hunting party, but now I am old and tired. But I can pass some information on to one of my darling daughters. How about a lesson with your old man, huh?" Kovu suggested.

"You'd really do that Dad?" Zahara cheered up and her tail waved. "Sure thing sweetie." Zahara grinned. "Oh Daddy, you're the best!"

She gave him a big hug and they went down to the left side of the Pride Lands, away from the right side where Kiara and Mayja hunted.

Kovu asked his daughter to show him how she thought she should hunt.

Zahara stalked through tall grass, breathing hard and trampling over the grass noisily. Kovu sighed and counted "3…2…1." Zahara pounced predictably. "You could hear me, couldn't you." Zahara sighed.

"Only, a bit." Kovu lied.

He could hear her a lot but didn't want to hurt her feelings. "You're still breathing too hard dear, relax. Feel the Earth underneath your paws, it doesn't shift with noise..." Kovu trailed off as he saw a perfect candidate to practice on, an immature antelope.

"Shhhh…watch the master." He stalked swiftly up to the antelope, getting faster as he gave chase quietly and caught the poor antelope unawares. He sank his teeth in the creature's neck.

Zahara followed, copying her father's movements. "Now, you try everything I showed you and say it doesn't work. Now look over there, another small antelope. Relax, feel the Earth underneath your paws." Kovu instructed.

Zahara put her paw pads flat on the ground like her father told her and took a deep breath to make herself relax. She breathed through her nose, as she began stalking faster and faster behind the creature, catching him unawares.

She pounced and bit into its neck. It seemed to come naturally to her. "Great work, Zahara! Now, let's find a few more animals we can practice on…" And they went hunting for an hour.

Meanwhile on the right side of the Pride Lands, Mayja had already caught three antelopes and two zebras, and it was only her practice. But their practice was interrupted by howls.

"_**Hyenas! Hyenas**_ in the Pride Lands!" Kiara roared to the other lionesses. "Hello, my Queen." An adult white hyena about Jabvah's age bowed to Kiara.

"Get out! You know you are not allowed in our lands! Wait, you're white! Are you different from other hyenas?" Kiara questioned the white hyena.

"Yes, my Queen. We are a different kind of hyena; we never even interacted with Scar. We have only emerged after Simba's reign. We want to help the royal family and will serve them humbly." Kiara smiled and thought about it. He seemed pretty friendly.

Zahara came rushing in, pushing the white hyena away from Kiara's immediate view. "Mom, don't do it! It's a trap! These are the guys that tore off Jabvah's foot. I saw the hyena you were just talking to, chewing the bones off Jabvah's foot!" The Pride gasped. Jabvah stepped forward. "It's the hyena who chewed off my foot! I promise it, Kiara! Do not trust him!" Jabvah said honestly.

"What on Earth? I would never dream of ripping off your foot, honourable lion. Please Queen Kiara, beseech me, I beg you!" Vladek dropped to his knees in a begging pose.

Kiara's eyes softened at his lovely royal manners. "Ok, you can stay. Pray tell me, what are your names?" Kiara asked.

"I am Vladek, and this is my brother Igor. The rest of my Pride is made up of my own flesh and blood relatives and friends, who you can meet later. What could we do for you, your highness?" Kiara's eyes brightened at her new friend.

"Well, friends, why don't we just sit, chat and get to know each other." Kiara suggested.

"Mom, this guy ripped off Jabvah's foot! I saw it with my own eyes! Who are you gonna believe? A stranger, or your daughter?" Kiara's eyes hardened at her second daughter.

"Zahara! How could you be so rude! This is a kind white hyena you are making up stories about! You're just like Scar, you liar!"

Kiara growled and slapped her daughter's face with her claws.

Blood spurted out from her nose, cheeks and ears. Zahara cried loudly, gasping in between her tears.

"I HATE YOU MOM!" she shouted as she ran away to the den. Nala and friends made 'tsk tsk' sounds while the Out Landers growled.

Kovu growled in Kiara's face.

"Kiara! How could you do that? You used to love all your cubs! Now, I don't even know my own wife anymore! I'm going! You need to fix your issues with favouritism, or I will leave you Kiara, I cannot have such pain in my daughter's life!" Kovu ran off and the Out Landers followed his example.

Soon only Daisy, Boho, the Pride Lander lionesses, Kiara, Mayja, Rin, and Tayo and Simba and Nala and her friends were left.

Rin and Tayo came up to their mother. "Mom, we feel left out too. Does that mean you get to slash our faces too? Zahara, Rin and I deserve more from our mother." Tayo said, and Rin nodded in agreement.

They left to find their sister. After a few minutes, Daisy got up. "I'm sorry but I can't be a part of this either. Zahara's always been a true friend to me, and although you guys are usually ok, what Kiara just did to Zahara is not ok. With me and anyone else who has left." Daisy said kindly, but firmly.

The remaining lions and lionesses chatted with the white hyenas, but Mayja couldn't help but feel extremely guilty. She had to talk to her sister. **


	13. Royal Lessons

**A/N: Hey Starzinmieyes, thanks for helpful criticism. I know that last chapter was a bit out of character for the Royal Elders, but let's just say it has a purpose. Believe me. **

Chapter 13- Royal Lessons.

One week passed and the white hyenas remained at the Pride Lands due to Kiara's friendship with them, and her rule.

Mayja still carried around the massive weight of guilt that she was causing her sister's problems in life. But today, some of that would be nullified.

There was massive tension between the original Pride Landers and Out Landers due to Kiara's outburst against Zahara and the mother and daughter were avoiding each other as much as they could.

It was as if they had gone right back to square one. Mayja hoped she would help, because today she was taking her sister out on the Pride Lands. Her sister had slept in.

"Hey sis, hey sis, wake up." She said in a sweet voice, slightly shaking Zahara's shoulder. "Hey Mayja." She said sadly.

"I wanted to apologize for something. But I think we need to go outside the den so we don't disturb any other late sleepers." Mayja said.

"Ok." Zahara bore a confused look. She led her out onto the edge of Pride Rock.

"I'm sorry Zahara. I'm afraid I've ruined your life. I've also ruined your relationship with Mom. I'm causing a rift in the pride. I'm ruining everything." Mayja sighed and deflated onto the ground.

"I understand if you can't forgive me. I know I can't forgive myself." Mayja looked lost. "You haven't ruined my life. If anything I'm the one causing the rift! I forgive you." Zahara hugged her sister.

"Maybe we're ruining everything together." Mayja said. "I think that's what happening." Zahara agreed.

"Zahara, I also came here, because if anything happens to me, you will be next in line. If I die someday, you will become Queen out of birthright. One day I won't be here anymore Zahara, and it could be sometime soon. I keep feeling, although I am Future Queen, the Great Kings somehow want me to themselves early. They have been calling my name at night. I want you to know that if I die, I will always be watching over you and guiding you as a Great Queen of the Past." Mayja suddenly sounded much older and wiser.

"You're not going to die! You're so young! I won't let you die! You can't die, you're the Queen!" Zahara felt dread rising in her bones.

"But, let's put that behind us for a day. I'm going to teach you how to be a Queen. We're going to be leaders of a hunting party this morning, in the afternoon I'll show you all the animals, and then this evening we will look at the stars." Mayja told Zahara.

"Ok." Zahara brightened up again from the serious moment and they spent the whole day together, up to the last star in the sky.

The next day, Zahara, Jabvah, Tayo, Rin and Petri travelled to visit their friends and girlfriends and boyfriends but first Jabvah and Zahara warned the pack about the white hyenas.

"Everyone! It has come to my attention that white hyenas have invaded Pride Rock; they are quite near to our vicinity and could strike at any time! We haven't heard anything about any planned attacks; however please stay on your guard! If anyone sees a white hyena, please yowl for assistance. I'll be there as soon as I can, and so will our lion friends. If we are in danger, we will roar. Now, we will demonstrate our roars to you." Jabvah informed everyone.

Jabvah roared first, and then Tayo, then Rin, and Petri made a warning squeak as she was only a 3 month old cub turning 4 soon. Then Zahara roared.

Xandor was taken aback, he found a lionesses' ability to roar very attractive.

It was just one of the new things he loved about having a lioness as a girlfriend. He had never seen anything like her before.

He found hyena females boring, but lionesses were another story. They were slinky and sultry, had long slender legs, could roar with spirit, they were smart, and could leave a lion in the dark when they went out for the kill. They were dangerous but attractive creatures. Especially Zahara, she fit all those descriptions quite well. Why did he have to be with his same species, when he could have this?

He walked up to Zahara to inform his girlfriend of this fact. "I love a good lioness roar. Especially coming from you." He nuzzled her, a sign of affection he learnt from the lioness.

"Hello to you to." She smiled. Then she roared, making him smile.

"Love that roar. It gets stronger every day violet eyes." She blushed at Xandor, who was now 16 and was growing taller every minute it seemed. He was strong for his young age.

They stopped for a moment, watching Petri and Rhoy chase each other in the hyena campsite, with Leilei watching on, rolling her eyes.

"You know, Rhoy told me the other day that he likes Petri, but he's afraid that she'll think he's weird. What should I say to him?" asked Xandor.

"You know, I'd say wait a month. Usually cubs get crushes on each other around four, but sometimes like each other without knowing it. I know my friend Daisy back home is in love with Boho and liked him since she was two, but Mayja is betrothed to him. So it would never work." said Zahara.

"Maybe I will do that Zahara. I'm sorry about your friend Daisy though, if I could never be your boyfriend, that would probably be the saddest thing I could face." Zahara sighed at these words.

"About that, Mayja said something…strange to me yesterday. She said felt as if she would die soon. In my culture, we believe in Great Past Kings and Queens of the Pride Lands. They speak to us via the clouds. Sometimes I've seen Mufasa and Sarabi up there, Sarabi my great grandma passed away before she could see me and my siblings become adolescents. Sarafina is also up there, she died around the same time Sarabi did, mainly of old age mixed with grief. Sarabi was the last no relation friend she had before she died. My grandpa fears it's also his time to join the Great Kings and Queens soon as well. But we had expected all those deaths, not Mayja's! She is the same age as me, and says the Great Kings have been calling her, in other words she thinks she'll die soon too. This means I'm next in line for the Queen. If my sister dies, I'll be married to Boho. I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid I can't change destiny." Zahara deflated onto the ground.

"We don't need them, we'll run away together! We'll start a huge family together! Another whole pride, and the fun is in the making." Zahara blushed red and giggled like Daisy would at Xandor's last comment, but she soon turned serious again.

"I know you don't have any family here, but what your friends? What about the hyenas who gave you a home and nurtured you? If we leave, the white hyenas will kill them off! What about Sasha, Henriatta, Leilei, Rhoy, Jabvah, Kamal, Shenzi and Banzai! Are we just going to leave them here to die? There's also every chance that when white hyenas take over, they'll kill my family and the whole pride! We can't give up, we have to stop them somehow, right?" Xandor nodded.

"I agree with you, but how?" Zahara thought hard for a moment. "I can't think of anything now, but I will think of something." Xandor looked grave for a minute. "We have to. And fast. Destiny may take it's course soon." **


	14. Destiny and Tragedy

**A/N: Hey, thanks for the review Simbah. Now, I have to warn you, the next chapter is sad. It contains a character death, and some violence.**

Chapter 14- Destiny and Tragedy

In three months, the tension between the Out Landers and Pride Landers had gotten much, much worse.

It was to the point where fights constantly broke out between the former members of different prides, when the slightest thing angered either side.

The white hyenas that had been taking up residence at the Pridelands were very close to Kiara and the Pride Landers believed the lie that they were completely innocent hyenas.

The Out Landers were completely shocked at the sudden rudeness towards them, and especially towards Zahara, who was denied kills from the hunting party, and not allowed to talk to any Pride Landers ever.

Zahara was lucky she could hunt, because otherwise she would have starved.

One day at noon, middle adolescents Mayja and Zahara were running one of their, how to be Queen Sessions.

They were taking a hunt together, and meanwhile Xandor watched from afar, on the roof of Scar's old home.

With white hyenas living in the Pride Lands, the older adolescent often watched over Zahara to make sure she was ok.

He was ¾ grown, and growing. He looked mature and had super strength. But he couldn't know what horrors were to happen next. In the morning the white hyenas were plotting…

"We will strike our first murder today. We will take out Future Queen Mayja and her successor, Zahara! Then we will work on those scrawny brothers of theirs. But today, we shall follow Mayja and Zahara when they go out hunting. We will create a fire around them, and trap them! Then we shall murder both of them, leaving their bodies in the fire, and putting the matchsticks in both of their hands, making it look like suicide. It's brilliant I tell you! Brilliant!" And the white hyenas howled and cackled in evil agreement with their leader, Vladek.

And at noon, they were stalking the hunting sisters in the grass.

They rubbed the matchsticks together and started more and more fire on the sticks, slowly but surely.

Then Vladek dropped the first stick, followed by Igor, and then they went by the hierarchy in the white hyena pack. Soon, Mayja and Zahara smelt smoke. "Hey, sis. It smells like smoke, and where there's smoke, there's…" Mayja and Zahara's eyes widened in fright as they saw the huge flames burning up right in front of them. "FIRE!"

They shouted and ran as fast as their legs could take them from the flames. Xandor gasped as he saw the fire closing in on a golden and a brown lioness, his Zahara! "ZAHARA!" He ran down to the Pride Lands, risking his own life for another's.

The hyenas completed a ring of fire around the young lionesses, who clinged to each other for dear life. "We're doomed!" Zahara cried.

"Zahara, I don't know if I'll make it out alive. But always know, I will watch over you and guide you. I love you Zahara." Her sister said.

"I love you too Mayja!" She responded back. Suddenly the pack of white hyenas jumped over the climbing ring of fire and cackled evilly. "Well, hello, my young lioness friends. Ready to die?" Vladek chuckled.

"No! We won't go without a fight!" Zahara shouted. "If that's the way you want it, then I can just kill you first. Hahahaha!" Vladek pounced in front of Zahara, only to be intercepted by Mayja.

Igor and the other hyenas worked to slash and kick Zahara, weakening her so she would be easy to kill.

Meanwhile, Mayja was losing steadily against the strong white hyena, and roared in pain when he painfully jabbed his claws into the sides of her face.

Now she couldn't see, and would be easy to kill.

Zahara shook the hyenas off of her with a powerful rock of her body. "Mayja! No!"

She struck the big white hyena in the face with her paw, and then kicked him in the stomach.

But he soon got back to fighting and forgot about her older sister for a minute. Mayja was overwhelmed as 99 other hyenas surrounded and attacked her.

Kovu was rushing to the scene of the fight, when he saw a normal colour hyena, a teenage boy, running along side of him.

As he ran, he asked "Where are you going, young hyena? I can save my daughters on my own." with a bit of a harsh tone. "I am Xandor. And I will help you." Xandor paid no attention to the harsh tone in the King's voice.

"Why are you so concerned?" Kovu's voice softened.

"To be quite truthful your highness, I am in love with one of your daughters. Zahara, your daughter. But I promise I will never hurt her, and I am intending to save her and her sister."

Kovu smiled brightly at the hyena who reminded him of himself at that age. "It's ok Xandor. I understand very well. We shall fight together." He said as they approached the ring of fire and jumped over it, narrowly escaping being burned.

Zahara and Vladek were engaged in a fierce fight, as the Igor and the rest of the pack were working on weakening Mayja.

Mayja looked tired and she grew more exhausted with each blow. Meanwhile, the adrenaline filled Zahara with more strength. She and Vladek turned out to evenly matched blow for blow.

That was, until Vladek smirked and tripped her, almost throwing her in the fire.

But Xandor caught her, singing himself in the process and yelping at the burning sensation. "Xandor! You're here!" Zahara smiled for a few seconds at Xandor, but then got focused back on Vladek.

Kovu meanwhile, was trying to divert the white hyenas from hurting his eldest daughter Mayja, but he failed as there where just too many of them. The sound of evil cackling filled the air, as Mayja fainted.

Vladek heard Mayja hitting the ground and with all his strength, shook Zahara off of him, almost sending her flying into the fire until Xandor caught her, burning himself again.

But he shook off the pain and Xandor and Zahara ran to Vladek as fast as they could, as he was about to sink his teeth into Mayja's neck.

But the white hyenas surrounded Kovu, Xandor and Zahara, and pushed them forcefully away, making it impossible to reach her in time.

"NO! MAYJA, MY DAUGHTER!" Kovu screamed as he heard Mayja's dying gasps.

Vladek sunk his teeth in her neck, draining the blood.

As Mayja was in her last moments, she gasped out, "Kovu, Zahara, I love you. Tell Mom and my brothers I love them, I'm sorry, but I must be with The Great Kings…and Queens…" she trailed off as the last of her blood trickled out of her neck.

Her body lay lifeless in Vladek's arms, and he tossed her over to his right, and laughed.

Something clicked inside of Zahara.

She felt absolute rage.

This evil, evil hyena had killed her sister. She roared with the most anger she could and ran through the hyenas and kicked them out of the way, bowling them over into the fire.

"YOU MURDERER!" She screamed in the white hyena's face, and she kicked and kicked, and slapped and slapped him all over again.

She looked at him with hatred filled eyes and sunk her teeth into his chest, not stopping until she found the heart.

She ripped his chest open with her bare teeth and ripped his heart from his chest, and threw it into the fire.

Vladek was dead. She threw his body on the fire, and watched it burn to ashes.

She roared and then leapt forward onto Igor, and scratched his scalp off, so everyone could see the brains in his head. "Consider that a warning to NEVER COME BACK!" Zahara yelled overcome with rage.

The white hyenas ran out of the dying fire, and the flames finally died down to show that it was sunset already. Zahara breathed hard, and then started weeping.

Xandor put an arm around her, just silently fuming. Kovu wept and roared in anguish over Mayja's dead body.

The Future Queen was dead, and Zahara would have to take her place, with a lion who was a friend but who she didn't love. She wept especially at that.

A funeral service was held when everyone had heard the news of Mayja's death.

This temporarily brought the two halves of the pride together to mourn for Mayja, but they would soon be torn apart much more dramatically.

They just didn't know it yet.

That night, Zahara cried under the stars alone.

A cloud soon appeared above her too.

It was in the shape of her sister's face.

Zahara gasped, at the Great Queen of the past before her. "Do not fret, sister. What is the matter?" Mayja asked from above.

"Your death for one thing. My life is a mess. Mom hates me, Grandma hates me. The Pride Landers hate me. I won't ever marry the man I love. I won't have little cubups together with him. Lions, tigers, cheetahs and hyenas will never live in harmony!" Zahara's troubles poured out of her.

"Do not worry for me, Zahara. I am living a wonderful afterlife, with my ancestors, and Great Grandparents in the sky. I even met Mufasa. Such a nice fellow. But don't fret for your own life either, I might ruined it on Earth, but in the sky I will not do such a thing. Your Great Grandparents and me have devised a destiny for you that will love. But you will have to go through some suffering first. I can't tell you anything about it, but you will love it when it turns good. Now I have to go, I'm sorry. Anytime you need me, I will be here in the sky at night waiting for you."

Zahara's tears started again as she would have to leave her sister in the clouds. "Goodbye Mayja." Zahara said tearfully. "Goodbye Zahara. Sweet dreams." Mayja vanished in the clouds. **


	15. Deception and Disgrace

Chapter 15- Deception and Disgrace

Kiara could not be angrier with her only daughter, who in her eyes had caused the literally and metaphorically golden daughter's death.

Mayja had been the perfect heir, raised and born to be.

Now that Zahara, the wretched Scar-like lioness had the throne, Kiara didn't know what to do.

She didn't know also what she was about to witness.

Today would mark the day Kovu was exiled, and the day where history repeated itself.

It had started out pretty innocently. Zahara returned ten minutes before her mother woke up, pretending it was her she slept next to instead of her loving, warm boyfriend. The usual.

But what was unusual about this day, a week from Mayja's death, was that Zahara was doing something very dangerous.

She would meet her boyfriend under Pride Rock, sheltered away from Kiara's sight.

At noon, while her mother thought she was hunting. Little did Zahara know she was making a terribly huge mistake.

Xandor, who had just turned 19, slide down the edge of Scar's old home, to underneath of Pride Rock.

Zahara saw him, and slinked over on her long lioness legs. She nuzzled him, and he licked her cheek. Both shivered at their contact. Then, Xandor surpised her by flipping her over on her back, pinning her, and licking her entire face. Zahara laughed and they got up and started nuzzling with passion, like Vitani and Giyji before they had the now 6 month old Petri.

After a while, Zahara and Xandor felt their legs making them walk by instinct to the nearest cave, to of course be alone, but Zahara's mother caught them on a walk and suddenly their instincts were put behind their logic.

But Kiara eventually got the truth out of them. Her daughter was dating a hyena!

She gathered the pride. The sun was no longer up, and was it was storming.

Kiara voiced her verdict on her daughter's situation. "Today, my Pride Lander friends, is a day that will go down in history. The first dark hyena…to be publicly executed! And, my daughter, my little version of Scar, and any blood or direct lionesses and lions from the Outlands, to be EXILED!" Kiara announced, with a smirk. "No! Xandor!" Zahara gasped as she heard what her mother said.

"Well, if that's the case, The Outlander King has to go with them!" Kovu shouted at her. "No, Kovu, you are _**my **_King! You will stay here!" Kiara yelled back as if she owned Kovu.

"Kiara, you forget, that I'm King, and you don't own me, because, I'm breaking up with you Kiara! But I'm still King, so I exile myself along with my family and friends. Also, Xandor is not to be executed! Xandor is one of us now!" Kovu motioned to his separate pride, where Xandor was standing.

Zahara stepped forward. "I also invite all the dark hyena pack to join us, as they are now peaceful, friendly creatures."

Zahara let out the meeting roar for the friends and hyenas and they all congregated in front of her.

"We are one. And we will not stop, until everyone is one with us!" Zahara announced. They started leaving.

"No, Kovu YOU SHALL NOT LEAVE!" Kiara chased down Kovu and pounced on him, digging her claws into his back. Kovu flipped her over and kicked her and then slapped her in the face.

He got off and ran out of the Pride Lands with the rest of the Out Landers, hyenas, Liyenas, Sasha and Henriatta and some of their cheetah, tiger and tigon friends.

After a few miles of running, they reached the Outlands, only for a rest stop to drink from the creek that Kovu and Kiara first met.

The crocodiles had since went up stream and the water was clean again. It was a hot day, so some of the cats and hyenas had a swim.

Sasha and Henriatta introduced some friends to their boyfriends, Zahara, Petri, the Liyenas and Xandor.

"This is Jolomp a friend of mine. She's a tigon." Jolomp waved hi.

She was an adolescent who was 17, the same age as Sasha and Henriatta. She had a creamy coat with tiger spots, with bangs over her lime green eyes.

The rest of them waved hi, including the maturing lions Tayo and Rin, who were growing manes now. Tayo had a half grown grey mane, while Rin had a red half-grown mane, making him look even more like Simba.

"She has a little brother named Jermaine." Jermaine was the same age as Leilei, a young adolescent of 13.

They immediately got on together.

Jermaine had a golden coat with tiger spots on his body but not on his head, where he had a tuft of a brown mane starting.

Sasha and Henriatta introduced about six more friends of theirs, who had two other siblings.

There was Kima, a cheetah friend of 18, who had a little cheetah brother of 8, Lokar.

Geogeo a male tigon of 19 with a black coat and white spots and yellow mane who had a little adopted hyena brother Haro with normal hyena colours who was only 4.

There was another hyena, Motif who was 23, one month away from adulthood.

There was Harratina, Henriatta's big cheetah cousin who also her best friend, at 18.

Gellagher, another male hyena who was 15, and his girlfriend, Rosabella, who was 12, a very young adolescent.

They all lay down, sunbathing at the creeks edge, getting to know each other while they rested an hour.

In the space of an hour, Xandor finally had some good guy friends he could hang out with, Motif, Gellagher, Geogeo, Jermaine and Rhoy.

In that hour, Zahara had made some new girl friends, Jolomp, Kima, Harratina, Leilei and Rosabella. She introduced them to her best girl friend Daisy, and they all loved her.

Unfortunately, Boho had not been able to join the group. The dark brown lion with a strange slivery blue mane, said to come from his grandfather, was forced to stay with the Queen because he was the husband to the heir.

The cubs with the exiled group all stayed together and played huge games of hide and seek and tag in the Out Lands under Chali's, Janois' and Kamal's careful watch.

The former friends of Kiara had been exiled too because they were directly from the Out Lands.

In an hour, the journeying continued on.

Kovu and the adults led the group at the front.

The large group of adolescents followed them, and each adolescent attended to a few cubs or pups.

They were going to the secluded mountaintops that Kovu and Kiara travelled to, for their honeymoon.

Memories of long, long ago where Kiara loved her cubs equally came back to Kovu but he shook them off. Kiara had changed. She was no longer the lioness he had once married. Kovu couldn't change that.

They stretched their paws over the rocky, steep, mountain.

Finally, at sunset, they had reached the top of Stonypaw Mountain, with Xandor carrying Zahara on her back and Petri walking alongside them at the very back. Xandor sighed as he was finally at the top, letting Zahara off his back.

"There you are, you lazy pussycat. You're getting heavier! Gained some weight?" Xandor joked.

Zahara playfully shoved him. "No, I'm just growing! I'm 16 and a half, not 19!" Zahara retorted.

"That is one heck of a sunset." Xandor said. "Mhm." Zahara agreed.

They started nuzzling rather passionately, when the adolescents started laughing at them yelling "Get a cave!" They just told them to buzz off.

That night, when the adults found a den, and everyone was snoring in their sleep, Zahara and Xandor crawled into a dark cave they had found earlier after sunset that day.**


	16. Exploring Stonypaw

Chapter 16- Exploring Stonypaw

That morning, Zahara strolled out of the cave, with Xandor following. Kovu saw them and asked if he could talk to his daughter for minute.

"Did anything happen in that cave?" Kovu asked Zahara.

"Um…yeah. It sort of just happened." Zahara confessed.

"I know what it feels like, I was 20 months old before I was crowned and so was Kiara. We often had to suppress our urges, until one day, it just happened. It's like that when you're an adolescent. It's ok once or twice, but don't let it happen too often, and never on heat. It's frowned upon in any Lion Kingdom to have children before you are both fully developed. It's just an old rule, dating back to Mufasa. Ahadi was a rouge lion Uru fell in love with as an adolescent, but he just wanted her for her mating. When Mufasa came along, Ahadi was proud to have an heir, but Ahadi and Uru mated again on heat, and they had Scar, or Taka who was treated like his birth name, dirt by Ahadi. So now you see. Adolescents make good couples, but they do not make good parents. Just remember that when you're with Xandor next. I know he's a good boy, but just be careful ok?" Kovu carefully told his daughter.

"Ok, I get what your saying, but how do we know we'll ever make it back to the Pride Lands?" Zahara asked.

"I don't know Zahara, but I'm just saying, if one day we're ever united, these rules still apply. Unless you change them when you are Queen. I also want you to be careful in general, because giving birth at your age can really put a strain on your body. It would be better to wait until you are at least an older adolescent, that way at least your body is stronger and almost fully grown." Kovu explained.

"Ok, I'm not planning to have cubs! It was a one-time sort of thing. You don't have to worry Dad. Now, can I please go hang out with my friends?" asked Zahara.

"Ok, Zahara." Kovu and Zahara hugged briefly before Zahara ran off to meet her friends.

On the way, she bumped into Petri running straight for her direction. "Hey, Zahara!" Petri, who was 6 and a half, smiled up to her older cousin who had ten months on her. "Petri, my little cousin! What's the matter, why are you running so fast?" wondered Zahara.

"Well, I was gonna ask Mom something, but maybe your better. I kinda like Rhoy. But how do I tell him?" Petri asked her cousin.

"Really, it shouldn't be a problem. I've spoken to him and he likes you as well. Just tell him how you feel." Zahara said.

"Really, he won't think I'm weird? He's a bit older than me." Petri worried.

"It doesn't matter. I'm 16 and Xandor's 19. As long as it's not more than a 12 month difference, it shouldn't be a problem." Zahara spoke honestly.

"Thanks Zahara! I'm gonna tell him right now." She short nuzzled Zahara and ran off to find the young adolescent.

Later Zahara was sitting around with her friends, Sasha, Henriatta, Daisy, Jolomp, Kima, Harratina, Rosabella and Leilei.

"So, anyone like, um, stuff?" suggested Jolomp lamely.

"What kinda stuff?" asked bored Sasha. "Just um, stuff."

The group had been talking for two hours and was really bored. "Ok, I'm sorry girlies, but I'm kind of, you know, really bored." Daisy tried to say it as kindly as she could.

"Is there anything to do around here?" suggested Harratina. Something came to Zahara. Her dad said something about hiking in the mountains.

"Maybe we could go hiking! Dad said something about hikes here in the mountains." Zahara said. The whole group agreed.

"That sounds like fun, but it would be even better with the boys." Daisy said in her typical boy crazy tone. The younger girls squealed while Zahara and others older than her rolled their eyes.

"I'll go ask them." Zahara volunteered. She walked over to the left of the hill, where the boys had set up camp.

"Hey Zahara." They all chorused.

"Hi, um me and the girls are going hiking today. Did you boys want to come?" She asked. They all said yes. "Can I bring Petri?" Zahara looked over to cousin Petri, sitting with the black maned Rhoy, his arm outstretched over her small body. She smiled.

"Sure, if anyone wants to bring any brothers or sisters or friends who are cubs or pups they can do that too." Kima brought her brother Lokar, and Geogeo brought his little brother Haro.

Zahara led the hiking group, with Petri, Rhoy, Leilei, Jermaine, and Xandor, all cramped by her side.

The other adolescents and Lokar and Haro followed in detached little groups. Zahara took the directions her father gave her, to a huge abandoned jungle within the dip of a mountain.

The young lions and lionesses trekked up a huge mountain then went down the side of one and took a quick drink at a lake before crossing into the small meadow at the middle of the mountains, about a quarter of the size of the Pride Lands.

They then walked up a brief foothill before reaching the forest in the dip of the hill. It was a huge forest, with colourful vines to swing from, a huge valley to splash in, fruit trees, and a waterfall to shower in.

Best of all, Zahara didn't know it yet, but Rafiki was hiding out here until the white hyenas left the Pride Lands.

As the rest of the group settled into their new surroundings, splashing in the water, swinging from vines and trying fruit, Zahara heard a familiar monkey's laugh. "Hehehehe!" She knew who that laugh came from.

Rafiki! Rafiki had disappeared from the Pride Lands after the unsettling unrest between the Pride Landers and white hyenas, and the former Out Landers. Zahara gathered Xandor, Tayo, Rin and Petri and they all followed the laugh until they found the old baboon, sitting in a swinging chair he made for himself with vines.

"Zahara! What a wonderful surprise! Who's this you've brought here?" He asked.

"You know my cousin Petri, and my brothers Tayo and Rin. This is my boyfriend, Xandor." Zahara said.

"Your boyfriend! Oh, he looks like such a nice boy, and strong too. It's good to finally see hyenas and lions come together. In all my life, I thought it was such a silly thing, that hyenas, lions, cheetahs and tigers should not live together in harmony! Now I have hope that in my life, I shall see a hyena rule the Pride Lands. A Hyena King! Now that would be a thing to see." Praised the nice old baboon.

Rafiki asked Xandor about where he came from, and comfortable with the old baboon, he told the story of how he came to be, even the ugliest bit, and his parentage. He told them of the white hyenas and his relation to the surviving leader of Zahara's attack, Igor. Rafiki shook his head. "That white hyena is up to no good. Tell me boy, like the hyenas of old, do you sing?" The young lions, lionesses and the young hyena looked at him with confused faces.

"Ah, ok I understand. When you, Mayja, Kings bless her soul, and your brothers Tayo and Rin were born, the Pride Land animals still sang. In fact, they sang at your presentation ceremony. But since the problems of the Pride Lands have manifested so much, the animals lost their souls, and their singing voices." Rafiki looked down. But he sharply looked up again. "But that doesn't mean I can't teach you young people! You are the next generation of leaders, and our only hope. Gather all the adolescents and cubs, and I will teach you how to sing." Rafiki smiled at Zahara and she gathered the group to sit in front of Rafiki. He taught them the basic notes, do, re, mi, so on and so forth. Then he passed out a chart of music on bark and everyone got into three groups according to their voices. There was the high note group, the middle note group, and the low note group.

"Now repeat after me. Nants ingonyama bagithi baba." They repeated the line back to him. After some repeating, and smoothing out the lines, the adolescents and cubs soon knew the whole song. Zahara, who had a beautiful voice, was chosen to do the solo. The clan sang together, the whole song.  
>"Nants, igonyama bagithi baba<p>

Baba sithi uhm ingonyama

Nants igonyama bagithi baba

Uhhmm igonyama, igonyama.

Sigo Ngoba,

Ingonyama nengw' embala

Ingonyama nengw' embala

Ingonyama nengw' embala!"

Rafiki nodded to Zahara, and she took the solo with her low voice, while others continued the chant.

"From the day we arrive on the planet, and blinking, step into the sun. There's more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done. There's far too much to take in here. More to find than can ever be found. But the sun rolling high, through the sapphire sky, keeps great and small on the endless round! It's the Circle of Life _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ooh yeah!_

And it moves us all _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ingonyama nengw' embala_

Through despair and hope _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ooh yeah!_

Through faith and love _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ingonyama nengw' embala_

Till we find our place _Ingonyama nengw' embala, Ingonyama nengw' embala_

On the path unwinding _Ingonyama nengw' embala, Ingonyama nengw' embala_

In the Circle _Ehhhh, ehhh_,

The Circle of Life _Ehhhhh, Ingonyama nengw' embala, ehhhhhh!"_

The young animals cheered, and chattered loudly amongst themselves, after the accomplishment of their first song, Circle Of Life. Xandor came up to his girlfriend, Zahara and licked her cheek.

"You were great Zahara." He told her with love.

"Listen, Xandor, I've been meaning to talk about what happened last night in the cave. I don't think it should happen too often. I mean I don't want to get pregnant too early, because if we go back after I'm pregnant or have a kid, it's frowned upon in the monarchy society. I also don't want to put heaps of strain on my body from having a baby when my body is still growing. I want to have your cubups someday when we are adults, but not quite now." Zahara told her boyfriend.

"Ok I get what your saying. I'll try to control myself, but it'll be hard believe me." Xandor flirted. She blushed.

"Oh and, I want you to have my cubups, too." He grinned at her, and she grinned back.

Soon, it was late afternoon, and Zahara decided that everyone should be getting back.

They followed her on the way back, and made it back when it was just getting dark.

Kovu and the rest of the adults were watching the children and the mothers were giving them their baths before bedtime.

Geogeo and Kima passed their little brothers to their mothers for a bath, too.

"Hello, where were you Zahara? I hope you weren't finding caves with Xandor all day." Kovu greeted her daughter.

"No, _**Dad**_! I took the adolescents and some cubs down to Stonypaw Valley on a hike. You should probably check it out too, because Rafiki's living there while the white hyenas are in residence at Pride Rock." She suggested to her Dad.

"Yes ok, that sounds like a good idea." Kovu agreed. That night, in the den with everyone else, Zahara and Xandor just fell asleep in each other's arms. **


	17. Fear and Demise

Chapter 17- Fear and Demise

In three months that followed, Kovu and his group of Out Landers, hyenas, cheetahs and tigers, lived in peace up in Stonypaw, with Zahara regularly talking to Mayja in the sky.

Meanwhile, down at the ground level the Pride Lands, the pride was very small, and only had two resident lions.

Boho, the older adolescent of 18 and a half, and Simba, the elder lion who must have been at least almost a decade old. A very old age for a lion.

Nala, the eldest lioness of the pride was one month younger than Simba, but she was still almost a decade as well.

Kiara was thankful for the addition of the white hyenas, which added muscle to the pride.

Without them she would only have Nala, Simba, Boho, and Nala's friends. One day, Simba and Nala went on a stroll to talk and have some time alone with each other.

The couple had known each other their whole long lives and loved to spend time with each other.

Simba and Nala were of course worried about their Grandchildren, they thought of them every day. But, Kiara had a way to make them support her.

Kiara would emotionally blackmail the two each day, to the point where they didn't even comfort Zahara for being slashed.

They apologized and made nice with their Granddaughter in secret profusely afterwards, and wondered just how long Kiara could live like this, disowning her own daughter.

In secret they would talk about how they were ashamed that it had come to this. They regretted their actions in going along with their friends every day, but had no idea of where the rest of the pride was, and they were much too old to go on a long tiresome journey alone.

They went down to the waterhole to stop for a drink, when Simba was struck with a big stick on the back of his head, making him faint.

Nala gasped, as she saw the white hyena that bore the stick.

It was Igor. "You'd better run, old girl, or we will get you, and your little husband too!" He taunted her.

Nala ran as fast as she could in the direction of Pride Rock but no lionesses or Boho were there. Too late. She had been hit with a stick too, from behind, and fell backward like a plank in the breeze.

Boho meanwhile was going to get a drink from the waterhole on his lonesome.

He had been trapped and isolated from his friends and family at Pride Rock under the rule of Queen Kiara, and didn't feel at home at all with the older lionesses and felt uneasy with the white hyenas.

But he couldn't believe what he saw! He hid behind a tree as the white hyenas lifted their sticks from beating Simba and Nala to death.

He shivered in fear. How long until they targeted him? He could only wait.

The white hyenas cackled over Nala and Simba's dead bodies with evil glee, and Boho almost threw up over seeing their lifeless, grotesquely beaten bodies, but he couldn't, as he would be caught, so he just held it in his mouth.

"This will make this look like a perfectly innocent…SUICIDE!" Igor announced as he placed the sticks in their hands.

The hyenas howled in happiness, and luckily for Boho, they turned back to Pride Rock in the opposite direction of Boho.

Boho threw up behind the tree and then tears filled his eyes, seeing that the kind and noble royal elders were beaten to death so violently, and their lifeless bodies had many wounds, scars and were covered in blood.

He dug two graves for the elders, next to the graves of Sarafina, Sarabi, Mufasa and two other lionesses who had been murdered, filled with white lilies.

The white hyenas informed Kiara of her parents' deaths. She wept as she found her father and mother's bodies lying on the grass just a few metres from the waterhole, with sticks in their hands.

Boho came up to Kiara. "Kiara, although it looks like suicide, you've got to believe me. The white hyenas murdered Simba and Nala! I saw it with my own eyes!" He said bravely.

Kiara's eyes hardened at Boho. "How DARE you? My parents died today, and you have the audacity to tell a lie? You're a dirty liar, just like Zahara! This is what you get, LIAR!" Kiara bit off some of his slivery mane on the top of his head, leaving a bald patch on the centre top of it.

He roared in pain as the mane ripped off his head. Kiara then raked her claws down his back, drawing blood.

He roared as a strip of skin came off his centre back. "Hatie, Jeera, throw him in jail!" Two mourning lionesses threw the adolescent in a cage for prisoners, within the confines of the den.

Boho wept for the deaths of Simba and Nala. Now he had no one.

Rafiki meanwhile, was travelling to the Pride Lands for a short visit.

He went around asking for the small pride and peeked in the cave, but was surprised to find Boho, held in captivity!

"Boho, my boy! It has been a long time. What are you doing here?" asked the kind baboon.

"I should tell you Rafiki, Simba, a little boy who you grew up watching, has died and so has his wife Nala. I'm so sorry. Now, why am I here? Well, the white hyenas killed Nala and Simba with sticks near the waterhole. I came to drink, but by the time I had gotten there, they had been beaten to death. The white hyenas put a stick in each of their hands, making it look like suicide. Next thing I know, Kiara doesn't believe me! She called me a liar, bit off a bit of my mane, slashed my back and now I'm here." Boho explained.

Rafiki looked down with a sad look. Simba, the little lion he had cherished so much, and Nala the pretty little princess, were gone.

He would miss them terribly. But they were with their parents and Mayja now.

"I accept your condolences my boy. But I am afraid that what is done, is done. I will now be here for a short visit, so I will keep you company. When I go back in a month, I will tell them about this incident. Is there anything else I should remember for you?" asked Rafiki.

"Yes. Rafiki, please tell them they need to come back. They've already murdered Mayja, Simba and Nala, and two lionesses in the pride, friends of Nala. I believe they have their minds set on killing the five lionesses there are left, then they will kill me, then Kiara. They must stop the white hyenas. And fast, too!" Boho told the old baboon.

Rafiki nodded, and set up his hammock where he slept next to Boho's cage. He would live with Boho, check up on him, feed him and give him drinks for the next month.

Then he would travel to the top of Stonypaw with urgent news, and hope that action would be taken. Boho and Rafiki chatted on into what was little left of the day, and all into the night, until they both felt sleepy and tired. **


	18. Action and Voices

**A/N: Sorry it's been longer than usual, you guys. I just started term 4 in Australia and life caught up with me.**

Chapter 18- Action and Voices

Finally, when his month was up, Rafiki bid his goodbyes to Boho and promised change.

He just hoped the young lion would survive.

He was trapped in a locked cage, and the Pride Landers and Kiara didn't feed him, or give him drinks as much as he really needed.

Rafiki often had to steal from the kills Kiara made, and sneak him drinks because the Pride Landers often didn't do this often enough. They had all gone mad.

The white hyenas were creatures with an evil leader who forced them to kill various Pride Landers.

What the old baboon didn't know was that he was the only one that noticed Igor forced them, physically, or they would be beaten and get no food. He needed to highlight this especially, to the Stonypaw pride.

When he finally reached the mountain on a late afternoon, one month after he set off, he noticed that everyone had really aged during their time in the mountains.

Zahara was 20 months old, an almost fully-grown lioness, she was slim and slick, like Vitani and Zira.

Tayo had a muscular but thin-ish build like his father Kovu, and Rin had grown into a physically very big and muscular lion, who, while his facial features where like Simba's, his body structure was almost identical to Mufasa's, which really played off the shyness he had inside.

Xandor was 23, and nearing adulthood, and super strong with spikes all down his back, and a black mane-like hair covering his shoulders, chest and head.

Leilei and Rhoy were both 17 months old, and Rhoy had patches of grey mane growing on his chest, elbows, down his shoulders and on his head.

Rafiki approached Kovu, and got him to gather the pride. He needed to tell them the news of Simba and Nala's death a month earlier, and of course, of Boho's message to them.

"Everyone, I have some sad, but important news. Boho tells me that Nala and Simba were involved in an attack from the white hyenas, led by Igor, Vladek's surviving brother. They hit the old lion and lioness with sticks on the back of their necks, so they would pass out, and then beat them. Simba and Nala have not survived. They are with the Great Kings and Queens now, as of about a month ago. Two elder lionesses, Kula and Tama, have also been murdered on a separate occasion. Boho said, that he only saw the King and Queen when they were dead, not beaten, so he could not save them. He also told me to tell you, Igor is planning to kill off the rest of the lionesses, him, then Kiara. He heard him speak of this." Rafiki told them.

Chali gasped. "Oh no! My poor baby boy! I've got to go back and save him!" Janois came to her side.

"Don't worry, I'm coming with you!" Janois said.

"Me too!" Agreed Kamal. "We're gonna save our little brother!" Jaylah and Jabvah, now in between young and middle adulthood, joined in.

Soon everyone was saying, "We're going!" Rafiki remembered the little detail he forgot.

"Wait! I should tell you, before you blame all the white hyenas; it's mainly Igor planning all this. He's also forced white hyenas who refuse to murder lions and lionesses to go without food and beat them!" Rafiki told them.

"Bah, Rafiki, they are evil too!" Shenzi called out. Soon the whole pride agreed and Rafiki's notion was forgotten.

"But I've seen it with my own eyes!" Rafiki protested.

"You are just being too nice Rafiki. They have murdered Mayja, Simba, Nala, Tama and Kula! How could they have an ounce of good in them?" Kovu dismissed.

Rafiki sighed. "Ok, you win. When are you going back to the Pride lands? I have been meaning to move out. Is three days enough?" asked Rafiki.

"What do you think?" Kovu asked the Pride. Pretty much everyone in the pride shouted yes. "Ok, we leave late afternoon in three days." Kovu announced. Rafiki left the group to recuperate in his temporary valley home before packing.

That evening, when Zahara was going to talk to Mayja, she heard singing, a male tenor voice, coming from a grassy clearing, next to the cave.

She heard an "aaaaaaahhhh" of the most beautiful male singing voice she had heard before in her life, but hid behind the bush as the hyena figure continued to sing to the sky:

"What about sunrise?  
>What about rain?<br>What about all the things,  
>That you said we were to gain? .<br>What about killing fields,  
>Is there a time?<br>What about all the things,  
>That you said was yours and mine...<br>Did you ever stop to notice,  
>All the blood we've shed before?<br>Did you ever stop to notice,  
>The crying Earth the weeping shores?"<p>

Zahara rustled as she tried to get out to hide behind a much more suited tree, but it was too late.

The hyena had noticed her and with his strength pulled her out of the bush. She gasped when she saw his face.

The singer was Xandor.

"What was that song, that beautiful, haunting song? I never knew you could sing!" Zahara exclaimed. "Um, yeah, well I'm not that good. L-Lina taught me it. When she was still alive. Once a week at night, I sing it to her before I go to sleep. Kind of like, a tribute." Xandor looked down with a mournful look on his face.

Zahara lifted his cheek to her face level with her paw. "Xandor, your amazing at singing. Don't doubt yourself. I bet Lina loves it, wherever she is." Zahara touched her lips with his briefly but passionately.

"Hey, I had an idea, why don't you use it as a sort of protest song for the hyenas when they lead the march down to Pride Rock?" Zahara suggested. "I was hoping you would suggest mating, but that seems like a good idea too."

Zahara shoved him playfully. "Xandor!" She blushed. "You know you like it." Xandor pushed on. "Yeah, I do."

She gave in and nuzzled him. "But not tonight, I'm going to talk to Mayja." Zahara told him. "Ok." Xandor said, and he walked into the den to sleep.

Zahara sat at the edge of the mountain, gazing at the stars, waiting for Mayja to arrive. Soon enough, Mayja materialised in the form of a cloud. "Greetings Zahara. What it is you've called me here for?" Zahara smiled up at her sister, sadly.

"I need your guidance, sister. In 3 days we will attack on the Pride Lands. Should the white hyenas really be victims? After all, as Rafiki is putting it, Igor forces them to be evil; they don't want to kill the lions and lionesses that they plan to kill. They don't get any food and are beaten if they don't participate. On the other hand, they've helped Igor murder Simba, Nala, Tama, and Kula!" Zahara explained her case.

"Zahara, here's what you should do. I think you should go to the battle and take out Igor first, if you can. If the white hyenas still follow him, then there is the chance they could murder more lionesses, lions, maybe even dark hyenas, tigers and cheetahs! Maybe in that case, you shouldn't trust them, but if they maybe realize their behaviour and apologize after that, amends can still be made. Now I'm afraid I have to go, we are still breaking Nala and Simba in up here. Don't worry; they are in our capable hands now, as a Great King and Queen of the past. I must go." Mayja said.

"Oh, I will miss you so much! You don't know how it is to be able to see you, but not to touch you. I miss you Mayja, goodbye." Tears rolled down Zahara's cheeks.

"Goodbye sister, do not cry for me too much, you will be able to see me in person, one day far off in the future, when you are a Great Queen of the Past." Mayja vanished out of the sky, and Zahara dried her tears and went to sleep in the cave.

She could have sworn she was embraced by a warm feeling, like a hug from a spirit, before she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Xandor got up and taught the hyenas the song. They practiced the song the same time every morning, for the next 2 days. **

**A/N: Get ready for the next chapter, cause it's a big one! Probably also the biggest in this story alone.**


	19. The Big Battle

**A/N: Thanks Angelixlight, and enjoy.**

Chapter 19- The Big Battle

On the day of the battle, the lionesses got up with the sun to kill a lot of food so that the battlers wouldn't be hungry later.

The adults, adolescents and cubs and pups all chatted lively in between bites of food, about the coming battle, and the excitement of freeing Boho from murderous hands.

No one seemed to care about freeing Kiara, but the lions and lionesses who had known royal elders Simba and Nala well wanted to avenge their deaths, as they were kind, noble and wise and did not deserve a death like that.

The hyenas mainly talked about getting revenge on Igor and his white hyenas for terrorizing their pack repeatedly.

At noon, Rafiki returned to the top of Stonypaw Mountain with his belongings in a suitcase of wood, which he would leave at his tree before going into battle with the rest of the animals.

The battlers only had about 4 hours until they were about to leave.

They were leaving at late afternoon, and would reach the Pride Lands just after sundown, so they could march into the Pride Lands unnoticed until Xandor led the army and the battle song.

After greeting Rafiki, Kovu told everyone they had two hours until it was time to prepare, but they could do whatever they pleased until that time.

Zahara and the adolescents and cubs decided to take a journey down to the lake to drink, swim, and talk.

"I can't wait to avenge my Grandma's death." Said Rosabella, now 16 months old.

The adolescents were all sitting in a circle after their swims. "What did the white hyenas do to your Grandma?" asked Zahara, shocked. "They came to our pack when I was only 4 months old. My Grandpa had died before I was born, and the white hyenas also killed my Mum and Dad. They were well-respected leaders in the pack. Then they came one day, and I had to hold back my Grandma from them. But they pulled her away anyway, and just clawed through her skin, muscles and bone on her chest really slowly and forced me to watch. Then they took her heart and ripped out, then stomped on it. Then they ran away." Rosabella looked clearly traumatised.

"Was there any other violence before this?" asked Zahara.

Motif, a young adult now, but he sometimes still hung out with adolescent friends, spoke up. "Yes, they've been terrorizing our pack and killing members since I was 5 months. Vladek, the old leader, was an adolescent. Igor was only a pup, but he went along with these violent acts anyway. They once pushed my sister, my cousins, my brother and my father in a volcano when we went on a hiking trip. Then I was forced to watch as their bodies simmered in the lava, and the horrible death screams. I only have my mother now." Motif said sadly.

Zahara heard more terrible stories, and wondered if the white hyenas could possibly be evil, or very controlled and brainwashed.

Kovu's gathering roar was heard and the young animals quickly ran up the mountain to meet Kovu up there.

The battle was in two hours. "Ok, everyone, the battle is in two hours. We need to line up in groups. Xandor, you are leading the group of one hundred hyenas that are marching first. The next group is the adolescent animals and cubs and pups. My daughter, Zahara, and sons Rin and Tayo are leading this group. Adolescents, you must buddy up with a cub or pup, and watch them during battle. The last group will be adults and elders, led by Jabvah and myself. We will line up now, and then discuss battle stragies."

Rafiki left after the line up, to go wait in his tree. The battlers would pass the tree and Kovu would fetch Rafiki. He had to unpack his belongings.

Two hours later, when the sun was beginning to lower in the afternoon, the animals began their march down the hill.

They walked down the steep mountain hill, and finally reached the end of the descending mountain about an hour later.

They said goodbye to Stonypaw, and then continued on grassy green plains at the base of the mountains.

Across the next hour, the green grass seemed to turn less green and eventually yellow, orange, and then brown, until they were walking on barren land with no grass at all.

At sunset, they reached the Outlands.

Kovu decided a break could be taken, so it would be darker when they reached the Pride Lands.

Everyone took an evening drink and sat down for a rest.

Xandor then led the animals on and they crossed the Southern border of the Out Lands, reaching the Pride Lands when the sun was no longer in the sky.

They went around the very right edge of the Pride Lands, then as night fell, they reached Rafiki's tree.

Kovu fetched Rafiki, and he brought his stick with mangoes attached to it. They then proceeded to walk back to the centre south of the Pride Lands and Xandor began his song as they marched.

"What have we done to the world  
>Look what we've done<br>What about all the peace  
>That you pledge your only son...<br>What about flowering fields  
>Is there a time<br>What about all the dreams  
>That you said was yours and mine...<br>Did you ever stop to notice  
>All the children dead from war<br>Did you ever stop to notice  
>The crying Earth the weeping shores<p>

Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaah

I used to dream  
>I used to glance beyond the stars<br>Now I don't know where we are  
>Although I know we've drifted far<p>

Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaaah  
>Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaaah<p>

Hey, what about yesterday  
>(What about us)<br>What about the seas  
>(What about us)<br>The heavens are falling down  
>(What about us)<br>I can't even breathe  
>(What about us)<br>What about the bleeding Earth  
>(What about us)<br>Can't we feel its wounds  
>(What about us)<br>What about nature's worth  
>(ooo,ooo)<br>It's our planet's womb  
>(What about us)<br>What about animals  
>(What about it)<br>We've turned kingdoms to dust  
>(What about us)<br>What about elephants  
>(What about us)<br>Have we lost their trust  
>(What about us) " They stopped when they were standing directly under Pride Rock, and Kiara was glaring down upon them, with her white hyena allies and her Pride Lander lionesses lined up.<p>

"You have caused a disruption of our peace at night, and if your marching army wants war, so be it! Kovu, I hope you know, I'm going to rip you apart! White hyenas, Pride Landers, attack!" Kiara announced.

She then pounced off of Pride Rock and launched herself onto Kovu, attacking him mercilessly with her claws.

Zahara ran up to Pride Rock, with Xandor, his pup buddy Jake, and Zahara's cub buddy Petri, to take on Igor together.

"Igor!" she growled. "Zahara!" He snarled back.

Igor launched himself onto Zahara, they rolled around together.

Petri and Jake teamed together to bite and claw into Igor's legs and paws, but were thrust away with power, and were hanging onto the ledges of Pride Rock.

Xandor quickly pulled them off the edge, and then told them "Stay here, kids."

Zahara was losing steadily, and Igor was about to prize his teeth into her neck, when Xandor tackled him from behind, and shredded the skin on his back and kicked him in the stomach twice.

As he held his stomach, Zahara tackled him again. She pinned him and slashed his eyes. He roared in pain, but kept putting up a fight.

Meanwhile, Daisy ran, determined to get out of the way of the white hyenas, she dodged left and right the steps to Pride Rock, and turned around while running to confuse them.

She ran into the den, and closed the door.

Boho was in there. "Boho! You're alive!" She exclaimed happily.

"Please, get me out of here!" Boho pleaded. "With pleasure, darling."

She extended her claws and picked the lock on Boho's cage and jimmied it.

The lock eventually broke and Boho ran out of the cage.

"Daisy, Thankyou for saving me." He smiled at her. Daisy licked his cheek, making him blush. "Anything for you sweetheart." They nuzzled before going back out into battle.

Kiara batted Kovu's cheeks with her claws extended.

Kovu growled in annoyance, and tackled Kiara and pinned her.

He did the same to her, slashing her cheeks and ears. Kiara roared in pain and flipped him again, this time tearing through chest muscles.

Kovu roared in pain this time. They were equally matched and could not manage to seriously injure or kill the other because of this, and continually growled in annoyance.

Meanwhile, usually four cubs and pups were on one white hyena, and two adolescents where on one.

One adult or elder and a white hyena where often equally matched.

By this time, about 10 white hyenas had been killed. The same number, 10 lionesses, female hyenas, and a couple of lions had been killed.

It was a raging and fierce battle, and hate was all in the air.

Meanwhile, bloody and covered with wounds, Zahara, leapt forward at Igor, pinning him again and slashing his eyes out.

Igor yelped in pain. She kicked him, and Xandor clawed at him, and he was very weak.

They both bore their teeth and bit into Igor's neck, draining the blood, killing him almost instantly. As the blood was drained from him, Igor yelled, "Everyone…these…wretched children are…k-killing me! Please avenge, your leader…" Igor let out dying gasps and a silence went out on the battlefield as Igor died.

The second-in-command, Igor's mate Cordelia, yelled "Tear the Queen off her former mate!"

The white hyenas did so, and the animals resumed their fighting.

Zahara heard a loud stomping sound coming from the dried up river.

She gasped; they were bringing Mom to the stampede! Xandor and Zahara ran down to the scene of the stampede, with Petri and Jake hot on their heels.

Xandor and Zahara bowled over both Stonypaw citizens and white hyenas as they ran to the dried up river.

Zahara was pulled back by white hyenas and thrashed around them trying to get free, but she couldn't.

Xandor pushed forward, as the white hyenas cornered Kiara to the ledge of the dried up river, the exact same place where Scar murdered Mufasa, and Kiara tried to save Zira.

He bowled over many white hyenas but was almost too late. They had pushed Kiara onto the edge. He picked up Cordelia with all his strength and threw her into the stampede. Then he reached a paw out to Kiara.

"Kiara, give me your paw!" Xandor said to Kiara. "No, never I would accept help from a _**hyena**_!" She thrust her paw away and struggled against the rock

. Xandor looked at Kiara with a sincere look. "Kiara, come on, I'll help you!" Xandor tried to reason. "No, I would never lower myself to a _**hyena**_! I can get up on my own!" Kiara tried to pull herself up, but then slipped with a "Woah!"

Zahara gasped as her mother began her descent into the stampede. "NO!" She screamed.

Xandor slid down the edge, as fast as he could, then knocked the white hyenas out of the way, and caught Kiara on his back.

He had saved the Queen!

He jumped on a white hyena's back and jumped on to more backs of the running white hyenas as he finally found a ledge and jumped as high as he could to reach it.

Luckily, he landed on the ledge, and put Kiara down, so he could rest and shelter from the stampede.

Zahara roared in emotional pain and wept.

She had lost her mother, grandparents, sister, and mate from this horrible, stupid war. She had had enough.

"Stop it! Stop it right now! All of you!" She cried.

Silence returned to the battlefield. "I have had it up to here, with this senseless violence! I have lost my grandparents, my dear sister, my mother and my mate in this stupid war! White hyenas, take a good look at yourselves. Do you feel no remorse for what you have done? You killed my own family! Look at the losses we have. We have both lost 10 men and women on both sides. These are all animals who had families, maybe even friends! Stonypaw Pride, we should feel ashamed of ourselves too. If what I have heard is true, their tyrannous leaders, Igor and Cordelia, have forced them. But now that they are gone, and we have accomplished what we set out for, ask yourselves, what are you really fighting for?" Zahara started crying, then a white hyena beside her started up too, and everyone started crying, mourning for their respective losses.

A white hyena girl, of about 9 months, came up to Zahara.

"I humbly apologize for what my parents, Igor and Cordelia have done, and what we have accomplished in murdered your family as well. I just wanted to be a normal white hyena, like everyone else, but Igor and Cordelia had forced me to murder Simba and Nala just a month ago, with everyone else. I feel horrible remorse for their deaths. Not a day goes by where I wonder why Simba and Nala haven't haunted me. The first time I refused a murder, my own parents refused me food and water, for 2 weeks, but so I wouldn't die they let me have a few drops of water every seven days, the bare minimum. I was hungry and thirsty and knew that I would have to murder many other innocent animals whom I thought were really nice and innocent. Now, I don't have to, I only have you to thank. I understand if you can't forgive us, we can move away to the Out Lands as punishment." Said the little white hyena.

Zahara's face softened at the poor white hyena pup, and realized everything she said was sincere.

"Ok, if you promise on behalf of white hyenas, that you will never murder again, and will always be nice, we can guarantee you a place in the Pride Lands, as long Kovu allows it." The white hyena pup nodded in agreement and the white hyenas shouted, "We promise!"

Zahara was going to turn to her Dad to ask permisson, when a hyena on the verge of adulthood, came climbing up the river's edge, with a light golden middle age lioness on his back.

That lioness was Queen Kiara. And the hyena carrying her was "Xandor! Oh my Kings, your alive! Never scare me like that again!"

When Xandor put down Kiara on the ground beside him, Zahara tackled him and pinned him to the ground, licking his wounds frantically.

"Um, Zahara, I think we need to ask your Mom's permission for the white hyenas to stay." Xandor suggested. "Ok." Zahara agreed.

Xandor shook Kiara's shoulder. "Kiara, Kiara?"

Kiara snapped her eyes open and met Xandor in a hug.

Xandor was shocked, but still hugged her back.

"I know it's been a long time coming, but this lovely hyena, he has opened my eyes, and given me the wake up call I needed. All members of the Stonypaw group are invited back to Pride Rock. And that includes all tigers, cheetahs, and especially hyenas, including the dark ones. Xandor, my son, you are to be married to my daughter in one month from today. You will be the first hyena king. Everyone, let's go back to Pride Rock together!" The animals cheered for their King and Queen, and Future King and Queen.

They dug graves for the dead, and mourned for a bit. Then, they celebrated their togetherness, by having a bit of singing before going to bed late.

Kiara got her daughter alone. "I am so sorry, I'm getting back to my old self. But I don't know how you'll ever forgive me." Kiara apologized.

"Of course I forgive you, Mom." Kiara and Zahara shared a hug, while Kovu watched on from the den, smiling. Slowly but surely, Kiara was getting back to the lioness he had married. She nudged Zahara out onto Pride Rock, and Zahara immediately knew what she had to do. Zahara short nuzzled Xandor, her mother and father, her brothers, Boho and best friend Daisy before accepting a hearty hug from Rafiki before he uttered "It is time."

The Pridelands were looking bleak, shot up with smoke and fire and rainstorms. Zahara ascended up to the edge, looking up questionably at the sky. "Remember…" Mayja boomed from the sky a single word of wisdom.

Zahara's face brightened, and she let out a roar, resounding over the Pridelands, letting everyone know of who was next in charge.

The clouds cleared up, and as sunrise began. Zahara looked up at the sky wistfully, then a flashy grin spread across her face as she saw the sun kissed savannah basking in the light that she had summoned by her roar. She let out a small pleased laugh, just content to stand in the exact spot, watching over her Kingdom, for hours.**

**A/N: It's almost the end, which is sad, just 4 more chapters to go.**


	20. Together

Chapter 20- Together

It had been one week since the lions invited the tigers, cheetahs, and black and white hyenas to live together.

Miraculously, everything was going amazing. Kovu and Kiara feared there might be tension between the different species, but everyone laughed, played and sang together as if they were all one species.

The cubs of different species had now formed a glued together group, and so had the adolescents, the adults and the elders. If only Simba and Nala could of seen this dreamland of harmony within their lifetimes.

It was not only a time for friendship; it was also a time for love.

Cordelia and Igor had put a hold on the 9 month old Ziranha's love for Jake, a pup that had fought alongside Xandor.

Petri and Rhoy and made a pact to be mates when they were older, and so had Jermaine and Leilei.

Daisy and Boho had got together because of what happened at the battle and had become mates, and Sasha and Rin had also become mates, as did Henriatta and Tayo.

Xandor and Zahara couldn't be in more love with each other and were engaged, to be married in three weeks. Hopefully after then, if given Kovu's blessing, Xandor and Zahara could have cubups.

Zahara was walking to the waterhole, smiling, thinking about her mate.

Xandor stalked after her.

He relaxed, felt the Earth underneath his paws. Then he stalked, faster and faster until he caught Zahara, and then pinned her.

She shrieked in surprise but only frowned when she saw who it was. Xandor laughed, and when he laughed, she couldn't help but laugh too.

"Why do you always do that Xandor?" She sighed.

"Because it's fun. You should've seen the look on your face." Xandor smiled. "Xandor how old are you?" Zahara was still a little annoyed.

"23, Mom." Xandor joked. "And how many times have you done this?" Zahara growled a bit. "Um, 5 times, Grandmaw." Xandor pushed her further.

Zahara smirked and flipped him over swiftly. She kissed him quickly on his lips. He looked puzzled. "Ok, you're confusing me more than usual." Xandor shrugged.

"I can't stay mad at you. You're a dork, but a sweet one." Zahara said, knowing that would set him off. "I am not a dork!" He flipped her over.

They rolled around in the grass, and unknowingly, into the water. They shrieked when they fell in, in surprise. Then they started splashing each other, and ended up just floating on the surface of the water together.

Meanwhile, Kovu and Kiara were going to set out on a walk together. The King and Queen, weren't officially back together yet, they were still friends at this stage.

But they rebuilt their friendship rapidly across the past week, and Kovu was beginning fall for Kiara again like he did months and months ago.

They walked together, and found themselves automatically heading for the hidden jungle where they fell in love once, with the help of Rafiki, the old baboon.

Kiara gasped as realized where they were. "This is the Upendi jungle isn't it?" wondered Kiara.

"Yes, I believe. So many memories from this place." Kovu looked away, embarrassed at what he just said.

"Where, they…good memories?" Kiara tentatively asked. "Yes, very good." Kovu said with a smile. "Listen Kovu, I feel, like, I'm falling for you again." Kiara confessed. Kovu's eyes widened. "Me too."

With quick thinking, Kovu grabbed a white flower from the jungle in his teeth, and laid it at Kiara's feet.

Then he asked, "Kiara, I love you. I hope this isn't too soon, but, will you do the honour, of remarrying me?" Kovu asked, with a sincere smile.

Kiara answered with a lick on Kovu's cheek.

"I would love to be re-married to you, Kovu. I love you too." They nuzzled each other, and Kiara picked up her white flower in her mouth, and they set off to arrange the wedding with Rafiki.

Later they came back satisfied.

Their wedding date was the same day as Xandor and Zahara's wedding and crowning day.

They had an announcement to bring back to Pride Rock. Kovu roared and Xandor howled.

The whole pride came to the signals that they should come together. "Everyone, Kiara and I will be remarried on the same day Zahara and Xandor are married. So now there's two more reasons to come to the royal ceremony! We hope to see you there in three weeks." The animals cheered for the King and Queen.

Rafiki came up to the stand. He had something to announce as well. "Everyone, you all know that I am getting too old, and I am afraid my time is near. So, I need someone to take over my duties of medicine. Boho, a young lion and a friend of mine, is taking over my medicial duties. But, while I taught him about medicine, he does not know enough about cub and pup rearing. My niece back home, Rafaki, will take over all cub and pup rearing duties when she travels here for the wedding, in about 2 weeks."

The pride cheered as they were pumped up for the royal weddings. Zahara and Xandor, and Kovu and Kiara nuzzled each other in front of the sunset.


	21. Royal Matrimony

Chapter 21- Royal Matrimony

The day had come for Zahara and Xandor's wedding.

They were excited and nervous about their wedding, and woke up with the sun. Zahara touched lips with Xandor to wake him up sweetly for the day.

"Xandor darling, it's our wedding day." She nuzzled him passionately. "Mmmm…you mean it's not the wedding night yet?" asked Xandor, with a flirty tone.

"Believe me, I wish it was too. But we have to ask Dad about that first. It's just royal rules. And only after we're married." Zahara explained.

"Ok." Xandor sighed. The morning, Kiara also woke up her fiancé and woke him in a similar way, by a familiar nuzzle. The royal weddings were about to begin.

Every animal, not just the ones in residence at Pride Rock, gathered in the Pride Lands for the Matrimonial Ceremony.

Rafiki led his niece Rafaki, onto Pride Rock so she could be the crown and ring bearer at the ceremony.

Rafaki was a young adult baboon, of about the human equivalent of 29 years old. She had shoulder length black hair, and red eyes with pink and purple face marks.

On a piece of tree bark, lay two wedding rings, Kiara's and Zahara's.

On the left side lay the Queen's crown and the King's crown, which weren't usually worn on any day but the crowning ceremony, as this symbolised the new King and Queen.

Rafiki stood in between the two royal couples, with Rafaki on his right, as his right hand girl. She held out the crowns and rings so everyone could see them.

"We are gathered here today to witness not one, but two royal weddings, the marriage of our new King and Queen, Xandor and Zahara, and a remarriage of the now retired King and Queen, Kovu and Kiara. Now, I will give the rings to the Kings, so they can put it on their Queen's fingers." Kovu slid his ring on Kiara's finger, just as Xandor slid his ring on Zahara's finger.

"Now, we will begin, the ceremonial crowing. Rafaki, place the Queen's crown on Zahara, while I place the King's crown on Xandor." Rafaki and Rafiki did just that.

"Everyone, I present to you, the Lion Queen Zahara, and the Hyena King Xandor!" Rafiki announced. The animals all cheered wildly for the King and Queen. Soon, a cloud appeared, and Mayja, Simba, Nala, Sarabi and Sarafina looked down proudly on their descendents.

"You have made me proud sister. Remember, I expect to see some little nieces or nephews, very soon!" Mayja boomed from the sky.

A stray tear rolled down Zahara's cheek. "Thankyou Mayja. I love you." She said to the sky. "I love you too." Mayja said, and the whole of the pride felt a warm feeling, as if some spirit was hugging them tightly.

"Now, you may roar or howl and nuzzle!" Rafiki told them.

The lions took their places on the edge of Pride Rock and Kiara and Kovu roared. Xandor howled, and Zahara roared beside him.

The crowd cheered. Zahara and Xandor nuzzled, along with Kiara and Kovu.

The animals 'awwwed' and cheered once more, before returning to their rightful places. Rafaki and Rafiki took of their crowns once the animals had left, and left them in Rafiki's tree for safekeeping, until the next generation was crowned.

It was now noon in the Pride Lands, and Zahara and Xandor lay in each other's arms, in the exact same spot that Kiara and Kovu lay after they had married, the edge of Pride Rock, just basking in the sun.

"So, you want cubups, right?" asked Xandor. "Oh, Xandor, you don't know how I've dreamed of that. Of course! But, I'll ask Kovu first."

She ran down to the waterhole and puffed herself out when she reached her destination, where the aging Kiara and Kovu were relaxing together.

Kovu raised an eyebrow, and then realized that Kiara did the exact same thing about 2 years ago. "I know what you're going to ask me. I say, yes! I give full blessing for your cubs! But what about you Kiara?" Kovu asked.

Kiara slowly smiled and said, "Yes, yes, yes! Of course you have my blessing!" Kiara hugged her daughter and they both danced around.

She put her down. "You know what this means Kovu? We're gonna be grandparents!" Kovu's eyes widened.

"Grandparents? Man, I'm old! I never even realized it. Having you, your brothers, and especially Mayja, has gone too fast." He exclaimed, and then talked solemnly about his dead daughter.

"It's ok Dad, she's in a great place now. With all the other royals." Zahara comforted him. "I guess that's true. But enough sad talk, I'm gonna be a grandpa! I'll be Grandpa Kovu!" Kovu did a little dance of his own.

Zahara walked up to Pride Rock, smiling all the way.

"Our parents gave us the blessing!" cheered Zahara. Xandor hugged Zahara. "That's great, so you want to…try now?" asked Xandor. "Yes." Zahara said, and they walked into the cave, and so started a new life. Or maybe two. **


	22. My Two New Favorite People

**A/N: Thanks to Reldor and Kratosgodslayer for their nice reviews. Now, the next chapter is the last, the epilogue. That will probably come out later this week.**

Chapter 22- My Two New Favourite People

The months of Zahara's pregnancy flew by, and her stomach swelled and swelled.

Zahara thought she looked fat, but Xandor thought she was more beautiful carrying his children.

Luckily in pregnancy she wasn't alone. In fact, there were a whole group of pregnant women that included Daisy, Zahara's best friend, Sasha and Henriatta, her old friend Kamal was having another child, and so was her friend Cebi.

They were discussing what genders their children were, according to Rafaki, the pregnancy and women's doctor of the Pride Lands.

They were also talking about the kind of people their children would be. Cebi started off.

"I bet you my little boy is going to be the most handsome hyena, very strong and he will be a little show off!" Cebi smiled and rubbed her belly.

"I'm having one more Liyena girl. I reckon she is going to be very bossy and protective of those she loves just like her Grandmother." Kamal looked down happily at her stomach.

"I'm having a polite and shy boy who is charming to those who he knows and is good at complimenting people." Daisy patted her swollen stomach.

"I'm having a girl who like her father, spews verbal diarrhoea everywhere." Henriatta said, earning laughs from the group.

"I'm having a tomboy girl who doesn't take anything from anybody. She'll be independent." Sasha contributed.

"I'm having two twin girls who will be completely different to each other. One is smart, and tomboyish, and one who is girly and loving." Zahara said, as it was finally her turn.

They were all due over the next week.

On the second day of the first week, Kamal and Cebi went into labour at the same time.

Within almost an hour, Kamal's cubup dropped from her mother.

The cubup had a lighter grey fur, this time, and looked more hyena-ish. She had the lioness body with some hyena patches like Shenzi's. She also had eye patches on her predicted usual black eyes like Shenzi's, and her Grandma's bangs. She looked a lot like her Grandma.

Kamal held her in her paws and licked her clean.

Cebi had a very hard labour, about three hours worth, but it was worth it when she finally saw her pup.

Cebi had a big strong pup, which probably weighed an eight of what she did. He was a big tall hyena for his age and had a muscular body with the predicted usual black eyes.

Kamal's cubup was named Shenzay, while Cebi's pup was named Mikal.

On the fourth day of the week, Henriatta and Sasha, who had known each other all their lives, also went into labour together.

Henriatta's cub was eager to get out in the world, and dropped from her in about only 10 minutes.

Sasha also had an easy birth and gave birth 10 minutes later.

Henriatta's cub was mewing within minutes of birth, obviously her father's daughter. Tayo was buzzing with talk and his little daughter mewed at the same speed as him. Henriatta laughed at this.

Her cub was tan with cheetah spots and red bangs, and it's predicted light sky blue eyes. Sasha's cub was eager to explore the world already, and tried walking on it's own but failed, and everyone laughed at the silly cub that couldn't even see yet.

Her cub had orange standard tiger fur, with red spots of her father's coat colour. The cub had predicted light purple eyes, like her Aunt Zahara but brighter.

Rin's heart melted at the sight of her. Henriatta's cub was called Chatta, while Sasha's cub was named Elizha.

On the sixth day of the week, Daisy and Zahara who were a little overdue finally went into labour. The pride came to see the twin heirs being born.

Daisy's cub was born within a half hour.

Her cub was an excellent auburn colour with predicted silver eyes like Boho's grandfather.

He had a peculiar difference about him, his paws were coloured white. He cuddled up very close to his mother even just after birth, signalling a little Mother's boy.

Boho was very proud of his gentlemanly cub, Otto.

Zahara's birth was the last out of the group, and she gave birth after an hour.

The first twin dropped out of her about one minute before she gave birth to the other. The pride gasped. New heirs had been born. They looked identical.

The girl Liyenas had a small brown hair tuft, rare for the hyenas. They had lioness looking bodies, with hyena looking faces. They had predicted black eyes with specks of violet in them.

They were darker hyenas then usual, a pitch-black colour. They truly looked mysterious.

"What you call your heirs?" asked Rafaki.

"I call one Princess May, after my sister, and what do you want to call the one on the left, Xandor?" asked Zahara.

"I call the other twin…Princess Billi." Xandor announced. The pride cheered for the Future Queens.

"May and Billi, my two new favourite people." Xandor cooed. **


	23. Another Royal Presentation epilogue!

**Epilogue. **

Chapter 23- Another Royal Presentation.

The day had come of the royal presentation.

The royal twins were getting primped up as part of the tradition of Pride Rock, with Kiara, and her old friends Janois, Chali, and new friends Kamal and Cebi.

They had made two new red gems for the twins to wear, that weren't cracked, to protect them against early death.

Kiara told her daughter what Nala told her.

"You have to make the gems unnoticeable Zahara. What you must do, is you must dig into the fur, but be careful not to hurt the cubup. You tie the gem around their bodies until it is wrapped around. Then you lick the gem, until it sticks to the body. This is just tradition of instilling the love you have into the heir's heart. Sarabi did this with Simba, Nala did this with me, and I did it with M-m-Mayja." Kiara teared up momentarily before pulling herself together for the presentation. She did so with her two cubups.

Meanwhile, Kovu and Xandor were taking the stroll around the Pride Lands. "The thing you have to remember Xandor is love and try and accept everybody. It is no use to judge someone on the spot, like the generation before me often did by nature. You must meet them and then gage if they are a good person." Kovu passed on his knowledge to the Hyena King, who nodded and smiled soaking in the information. Kovu could only know what he never knew about the royal system, and he was still learning.

Then Kovu and Xandor turned to the Pride Lands, and singing came over the Pride Lands, calling everyone to Pride Rock.

Nants, igonyama bagithi baba

Baba sithi uhm ingonyama

Nants igonyama bagithi baba

Uhhmm igonyama, igonyama.

Sigo Ngoba,

Ingonyama nengw' embala

Ingonyama nengw' embala

Ingonyama nengw' embala!"

The animals gathered at Pride Rock, as Zahara and Xandor's cubups were taken from their arms. Rafaki blew dust onto May and Billi, making them sneeze. Rafaki broke a mango and spread the juice on May and Billi's heads, then Boho took May and they presented the cubups to cheers from the animals.

From the day we arrive on the planet, and blinking, step into the sun. There's more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done. There's far too much to take in here. More to find than can ever be found. But the sun rolling high, through the sapphire sky, keeps great and small on the endless round! It's the Circle of Life _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ooh yeah!_

And it moves us all _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ingonyama nengw' embala_

Through despair and hope _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ooh yeah!_

Through faith and love _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ingonyama nengw' embala_

Till we find our place _Ingonyama nengw' embala, Ingonyama nengw' embala_

On the path unwinding _Ingonyama nengw' embala, Ingonyama nengw' embala_

In the Circle _Ehhhh, ehhh_,

The Circle of Life _Ehhhhh, Ingonyama nengw' embala, ehhhhhh!_

Zahara and Xandor nuzzled each other and as they looked out onto their cubs, Mayja, Simba, Nala, Sarafina, Mufasa and Sarabi looked down on the next generation. "My little nieces. Make me proud. Take your place in the circle of life." Mayja's voice boomed from the sky proudly and every animal felt a warm hugging feeling. As Xandor and Zahara looked out at their cubs, they were proud.

It's the Circle of Life _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ooh yeah!_

And it moves us all _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ingonyama nengw' embala_

Through despair and hope _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ooh yeah!_

Through faith and love _Ingonyama nengw' embala, ingonyama nengw' embala_

Till we find our place _Ingonyama nengw' embala, Ingonyama nengw' embala_

On the path unwinding _Ingonyama nengw' embala, Ingonyama nengw' embala_

In the Circle _Ehhhh, ehhh_,

The Circle of Life _Ehhhhh, Ingonyama nengw' embala, ehhhhhh!_

New life, new stories and new beginnings.

Even though it is the end.**

**A/N: Thankyou for a spike of really nice reviews for the last few chapters, it really puts me on a high note for the end of my story. Thankyou reviewers and thankyou to all those silent readers who put my stories on alert, and/or favorited me as an author or the story. Just to let you know, a sequel has also been written, featuring Billi, the younger twin heir to the throne. That will be premiering next week, Mon or Tues, not on the weekend, I'm taking a little break in between stories. I also have another story planned as well as that one. I'm getting addicted to writing these stories (as well as long drawn-out author's notes)! **

**Until the sequel, **_**Zahara's Pride**_**, bye! **

_**-Lotta.**_


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